That's Life
by Hinata-hime
Summary: AU Take a slightly emotional female, and mix that with an extremely unemotional male. What do you get? Total. Highschool. Chaos. Plain and simple. SasuSaku plus NejiTen, KibaHinaNaru, InoShika
1. All I Wanted was a Goddamn Summer Romanc

**Author's Notes: **Well look here…another fic of mine…who'da thought? Anyway, hi, nice to meet you, for the people that don't already know me! Welcome to my world where everything goes my way and that's final! –laughs insanely- ahem, yes, about the fic. Let's see what I can sum up in a few words. I've been reading a lot of depressing things lately, and what better way to cure it then write utterly stupid things! Yes, this idea popped out of nowhere, and I was smart enough to write it down this time. I haven't seen to many high school Naruto fictions around, so here's my interpretation. Sorry in advance if this is similar in any way to anyone else's (I assure you, I don't plagiarize XD). Anyway, for future chapters, the ANs will go on the bottom of the chapter. First chapter I know is kinda lame, but whatever. Also, I encourage criticism, but nothing too harsh (because those made me sad…) So enough with my rambling, time for chapter 1 of That's Life!

**Pairings: **I will only say this once. Focuses mainly on Sasu/Saku. Side pairings of (get ready for the list): Saku/Neji, Neji/Ten, Sasu/Ten, Naru/Hina, Hina/Kiba, Shika/Ino, Ino/Shika/Tem triangle. All of these pairings won't necessarily stay together at the end (mostly only for 1 chapter…like Sasuke and Tenten –laughs- very scary if you ask me…can't see that 1 at all).

**Summary: **AU Take a slightly emotional female, and mix that with an extremely unemotional male. What do you get? Total. Chaos. Plain and simple. (SasuSaku and other minor pairings)

**Disclaimer: **I only own the plot. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei.

**Key: **Regular text, "talking", 'thinking', _flashbacks _

* * *

**Chapter 1: All I Wanted was a Goddamn Summer Romance!**

The young girl looked out the window of her family's car, as the trees were getting fewer and fewer, and the houses were increasing. She sighed, it was the first time in about 10 years that they'd moved…and of all places, back here? Back to where they'd originally were. The window was open, letting in a small breeze, and blowing back her soft pink hair. Well, at least it was good to be home.

"You're leaving, huh?" he'd asked her, once the family car was loaded and ready to go. Her mother beckoned for her presence, as they waited to leave.

"_Yeah," she said sadly. She turned to see her house one last time. "I'm really going to miss this place…and you," she said shyly. "Thanks for being my friend." She kissed the dark-haired boy on the cheek. _

_His face instantly turned red, and it caused her to giggle. "Hey! You'll…come back some day…right?" he asked reluctantly as she turned to go. _

"_Definitely," she said with a smile. "And when I do, things are going to be just like now. You're going to be my boyfriend, kay?" she giggled as his blushed increase as he nodded. "You're going to wait for me!" and so were the last things she'd ever said to him, as the family car pulled out of the driveway and down the road…into the unknown world._

She sighed again. It was 10 years ago…she was seven at the time. So long ago…hell, she'd even forgot his stupid name! How was she supposed to date someone who she didn't even recognize, since she highly doubted that he looked even remotely similar, since he'd be also seventeen now. "Sakura! Stop daydreaming! We're here already!" her mother called from the front seat. So came the first glance at her new home.

Well, so much for new. "You mean to say we moved for ten whole years just to move back to our old house?" she asked in somewhat disbelief. She sighed, "I call my old room…" with that she took the tiny bag she was carrying and ran up the few steps to the unlocked front door. The inside looked exactly the same…minus the homey touches it used to carry. But without a doubt, it'd be like old times. She thought, 'Well, almost.'

It was the middle of July, and Sakura had planned to spend the summer like all the other teen girls her age. Trying to find a summer love. It made her sick. So suddenly her parents had decided they were suddenly going to move back and then wham! All hopes came crashing through her perfect little spotless mirror. Then the shards fell into her eyes and then they started bleeding and then…alright…to much of a mental image for her.

"I want my life back!" she yelled into her pillow, once it was again in her possession, back in her room. Then, gazing around her old/new room, she spotted her stuffed bear that she'd named Teddy. Original, neh? "It's all **your** fault! It **had** to be that night where I had that dream and I said 'wow I wish I still lived there' and then it came true! See? All your fault!" and so commenced the staring contest between the stuffed animal, and a crazed and summer-love deprived teen. And guess who won? No one, actually, it was mutual.

"This sucks…" she complained again, but more silently. She gazed out the window. Everything was in the house, yet waiting to be unpacked. The sun had set. 'Man, but I have missed this place…' she walked over to open her window. The warm summer air filled the damp room. "Ah…" she sighed peacefully. "Huh?" she looked around. A tree branch hung just inches from the windowpane, outstretching to the outside of the fence. "Heh, I can sneak out! Awesome!" until she remembered she had nowhere to sneak out to.

"Therefore, nothing is left to do but sleep," she concluded aloud. And that's just what she did, not even bothering to get changed, nor close the window.

* * *

Morning came quicker then expected, with a thud, actually. She was just about to ask the pink fluffy cat what it's name was then it pushed her and wham! She had landed on the floor! And to her now, the room was upside down. "Oww…" she whined sleepily still too lazy to remove herself from the position. If there was one thing anyone should know, it was that Haruno Sakura was **not** (and that 'not' is in bold for a reason) a morning person.

She walked out of her room and turned to the first left, smack into the wall. 'Oh yeah…wrong house.' She stayed there against the wall, until her mother emerged from her room in her night robe.

"Sakura, what are you doing there?"

"Wondering why I can't live a normal teenaged life and I'm stuck moving and that the world's not fair and that I'm never going to find a guy and get some—"

"What?" her mother asked, cutting her off, since her daughter was mumbling rather than speaking…for good reason.

"Nothing. I forgot that I'm not at home anymore, and thought the bathroom was the wall. My bad," and she turned 180 degrees, and walked into the real bathroom.

A whole breakfast session, unpacking and more walking into wrong rooms later, Sakura could say that she was finally unpacked. It was mid-afternoon, and she still had time to kill. "Going out for a little bit," she said to no one in particular. She trotted across the front lawn, and opened the gate to her house. And now she was free! Free to stand there and look like the total lost kid that she was.

She looked down the right. A road. To the left, a road. In front…a tree. Alright. Interesting neighbors. Hi roads, trees, meet Sakura, your newfound best friend. She resisted the urge to gag. 'This can't be the only thing…not that I remember.'

So following old instincts, she wandered down the silent road for a bit until she came across a park. Not that there was anyone there…of course…because that would have been too easy. 'Whatever,' she plopped down onto the single swing and closed her eyes.

_"What? You're leaving?" _

_She nodded sadly, "Daddy says it's for work…but…I don't wanna leave! Can I come live with you or something?"_

She had always been such a stupid child. Of course that'd never happen. Her trail of thoughts were cut rather short, as a shadow loomed over her. "Oh?"

There stood a girl. She wore a hooded sweatshirt, despite the hot weather. Her eyes looked rather vacant and silver. She looked very timid, judging by her stance. "H-hello," she stumbled, very quietly.

The first thing that dawned on her was: ah ha! A person! She wasn't the only one in this place, thank the Lord! She was ready to give this random girl a big hug! Wait! That'd probably scare her off, so it was best to refrain from doing so. "Hello!" she said strongly, her emerald eyes shining. "How are you today? Lovely weather isn't it?" hold on…she was rambling.

"Um…yeah…it is," she said nervously.

Oh great, she was scaring her off already. "Oh, wait! Sorry about that, I was just a bit fidgety 'cause you know I just moved here and all and know no one and…oh," the girl was looking at her weirdly again.

Then she giggled, "That's quite alright. I-I just come here everyday and I never see anyone else here but me…so I was a bit surprised…" she offered a small smile. "Where are my manners? I forgot, I'm Hinata. Hyuuga Hinata."

"Haruno Sakura," she replied, happy to find someone who she at least knew the name of.

"How'd you find this place anyway? The entrance is pretty hidden," observed the one called Hinata.

"I used to live around here…like ten years ago. So I guess I came here a lot, since I did so absentmindedly."

"T-that's cool…" she said, and the conversation died. "Y-you live around here?"

"Yeah, just down the road a few minutes," she jerked her thumb in one direction.

"Then we're neighbors. The Hyuuga estate is just that way," she pointed in the opposite direction, "I haven't had many of those up until now."

Sakura laughed slightly nervous. "E-estate huh? You're rich?" the girl shook her blue-haired head. "Ah, I see…" in truth, she didn't really see at all.

"My cousin's family lives there too. So we need quite a bit of room…I-I'll show you if you'd like…I-I hope I'm n-not imposing or anything…"

"No! Not at all! Let's go!" she said rather quickly and dragged her new found friend off by the arm, not really caring what she thought of her at this point, only that she actually **knew** someone! For God sakes, she was dragging this girl to her own house, and she didn't even know where it was…only in that direction. She paused in her thoughts; oh well.

It was less than a minute before the two appeared before a large gated property, and right in the dead center, was the biggest darn house that Sakura had ever seen in her useless life. She rubbed her eyes, Osaka Castle? Nah… "Wha-what do you mean you aren't rich? Hello? Have u ever looked at the size of this place?"

"N-no, sorry. Did I upset you?"

"A-ah…no, no! it's just," 'good job Sakura,' "I've never seen a place so huge in m life! It's amazing!" she gripped the iron bars, looking longingly inside. She never remembered this here.

"W-would you like t-to come inside?" she asked nervously, unlocking the gate with a code.

The pink-haired girl wanted to scream "hell yeah!" but chose a softer, and more polite tone, "If you insist!" she walked silently up the gravel path, while on the other hand, Sakura was half skipping. Man, this was so cool! She was going to look inside a palace! Well, maybe it wasn't a palace but close enough! She could have squealed in delight, completely forgetting about her non-existing summer romance…but only temporarily though.

"H-here," Hinata opened the door, and let Sakura enter first. It was just as stunning inside than out. Marble floors, big staircases, a big chandelier, and stereotypical rich-people things were Sakura's opinion.

"Amazing," she breathed.

And then a loud crash was heard from somewhere deep inside. Sakura jumped back at the sudden noise, and Hinata flinched. "Neji nii-san's friends must be over…" and went inside the house.

Follow…or not follow? Hell, it'd take her days to get out of this place! "Hey! Hinata! Wait up!" she slid on the floor, but caught herself just before she ran into her friend. That would have been embarrassing. "Who's Neji?" she asked, but it was sort of obvious, judging by what she'd called him.

"My cousin," she stated, "he's the same age as me, well, a few months older. Seventeen, you-you're that too, right?" Pink hair moved up and down. "He's usually in here with his friends," she peered through the door. Sakura did the same.

It was another huge room, looked like a lounge. Inside were six guys. One lay comfortably one the couch. He was probably Neji, Hinata's cousin, judging by their eyes. One was sitting on the floor against a wall, looking bored. The other four were up and about, doing who knows what.

"…and then I swear, she comes up to me and goes you're the most annoying blonde I have ever met! I mean come on!"

"Man, you talk way to much," another one said.

"Arg! Shut up! You shouldn't talk mister, 'oh! See her over there? She's soooooo hot! I think I'm going to go—'" a pop can found it's way to the blonde boy's face. "Hey!"

"Serves you right for never shutting up and giving this world peace!"

Sakura glanced to Hinata, "Maybe it's best we leave." She nodded and they quietly exited. "Lively bunch they are," she laughed. "Why aren't you there in there with them? Aren't they your friends too?" the timid girl's cheeks flared slightly. Oh, so that was it. Boy, crush, nervous…end of story. "Haha, it's okay! You wouldn't believe how many stories I have like that and oh my Lord! Is that the time? Sorry if I feel like I'm rushing out but Mom's going to kill me!"

"N-no problem. See you, um, later then," she smiled and showed Sakura out.

'Oh crap! Oh crap! I'm soooo dead!' she thought as she flew down the road back in the direction of her house. 'Sakura, make plans for your funeral. First, I leave all my girl-things to my friends back home, I miss you guys oh so much! Especially Temari! You get the special stuff! I leave some stuff for Hinata, girl, I only knew you for 2 hours but it was fun. The rest I leave to my mystery man, if he remembers me…' and her running stopped to a walk, then a stop, as she observed the person standing in front of her.

He gripped the bars of the gate and was staring off onto her property. He had dark, almost black hair, like most people nowadays. And he was tall, about a head above herself. He wore a navy T-shirt, and black shorts; casual wear. From his wrists to his elbows were covered with bandages.

She cleared her throat. The young man jumped back, startled by her presence, and flustered that he'd been 'caught' doing whatever the hell he was doing. "Excuse me, what do you want?" he said nothing, just looked at her from head to toe, observing her every feature. 'Is he deaf or something? Or mute?' she wondered, getting quite nervous from all this eye contact from those black orbs of his. "Hello? Are you deaf? What are you doing here?"

He snapped to attention. His face with an unreadable expression, "Like I'd tell a total stranger," he sneered. But she had to admit, his voice was very captivating.

"Haruno Sakura," she said rather bitterly, "now what?" Her foot tapped lightly on the ground.

"And just because you tell me your name, means that I'll tell you my business here?" he asked monotone. She nodded. "Then you're more foolish then you look."

'Foolish? Why that arrogant, pig-headed jerk! No one calls me foolish!' her insides screamed. On the outside she remained cool. "Look, I'm late to go home, my mom will kill me, it's my first day here in a long while and I'd like to live through at least the summer. So hurry up, tell me, then have a nice life!"

"You live here?" he eyed her again with that same flat expression. "Uchiha Sasuke, if you're so interested. My business is meaningless now. Have a nice life," he repeated before strolling away, that is, before Sakura caught his arm. He winced slightly, obviously we was wounded.

"That's it? You can't just walk up to someone's house and act like it's nothing. Listen, Sasuke-san, I just want to know what you were doing. That's all!"

She flicked her hand away. "Man, you're annoying." It left her standing there half shocked, as he continued to walk away.

'Bastard.' She inwardly cursed, 'what a weird guy, and so damn innerving too! What does he think to call me that only meeting me for five seconds…' she picked up a rock and threw it in that direction, and it landed far away from it's target, as he was already too far away. 'Man, I could just strangle something…'

And speaking of being strangled. "Ah! Mom! I'm soooo dead even more now! If I die it's your fault!" she yelled after him, not really caring if he was listening or not. With that last note lingering, she quickly opened the gate and bolted inside. "Dead, dead…I'm a dead teen walking!"

* * *

"If I die it's your fault!" was heard in the distance.

"That's fine," he said quietly stopping and slumping down to the ground. He'd caught wind that some new family had moved into the house and went to check it out. He didn't catch a glimpse of the parents, who he was hoping for, since they wouldn't have changed very much. 'She's…Sakura?' then he shook it from his mind.

He stood up, and headed for home. 'Well, I obviously wasted my time today. However,' his scowl darkened, 'I'm sure I haven't seen the last of you, Haruno.'

* * *

'I can't believe him! Thank God I wasn't grounded! She bought my 'I got lost lie'. Ha! Anyway,' her thoughts trailed as she lay on her bed. Something was bugging her. "_Man, you're annoying_." Came into play again. 'Why am I remembering that? Stupid him! I just met him too! It's not worth working up over. We just started off on the wrong foot. That's all.' She turned onto her back. 'Sheesh, if my mystery man was here, he'd beat the crap out of that guy. I wonder what he did turn out like…maybe a handsome voice, and looks awesome. Wouldn't that be great?'

She desperately hoped she'd at least find him sometime before school started.

* * *

**TBC**


	2. Mind if I Call You Sasuke kun?

**Disclaimer: **I only own the plot. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Mind if I Call You Sasuke-kun?**

Only a full week had passed. Yes, time travels very, **very** slowly. Sakura sat on the windowsill, watching the leaves on the trees sway back and forth with the wind. 'If I can do this all day, then I have bigger boredom issues than I thought,' she sighed to get up. 'Crap, I almost forgot…' her hand reached for a box on her dresser, as she popped a tiny pill in her mouth. 'Can I stop taking these?' she wondered silently and slumped back to her original position.

She'd only seen Hinata one other time, at the park of course. They just sat around for hours…and talked. Basically that's all she had been doing lately. She didn't know of any stores, or shops. Just the deserted area in which she lived. And all she wanted to do was live a little. 'Living here? Might as well just crawl into a ditch and die.'

And that…what was his name? She paused, 'What's-his-face? Oh come on, I know this! Shot term memory, short term memory…I know this! Ah! Uchiha! Uchiha…um…was I always this bad with names? Oh whatever.' If she couldn't remember his name, that means they hadn't met again. 'Not that I care much. If it wasn't for his jerkiness, pig-headed, I'm-the-king-of-the-world attitude, she'd waste no time chasing him. Hey, with his looks, he'd score big back in her old town.

The wind blew harder, almost knocking Sakura off balance and into the bushes three stories below. Well that had woken her up out of her daze. "My first brush with death. I'm on a role," she told her bear. And you know, it just stayed in that same position, with that same expression. "You make just the best conversation piece in the world," she told it, assuming it was listening.

She let out a whine. "I'm going to die single, and a virgin." And then, her inner self paid her outer self a visit.

"You're just sitting here moping around! Get up, get out and do something about it!"

"Shut up, other me. I'm trying to kill myself with boredom."

"That's my point. You're such a sadist. Get off your lazy ass and call Hinata or something!"

"Will it make you go away?"

"Yes, because you'll be to preoccupied doing something else rather then conversing with yourself like an idiot."

"Fine, goodbye." And then her mind said nothing back. Always the voice of reason. She slowly made her lazy self down the stairs.

* * *

"Hello, may I please speak to Hinata?" no one answered. "Hello! May I speak to Hyuuga Hinata please?" Again, not a sound. "Yo, is Hinata avaliable?" Especially then, no answer. "Okay…I'll go with, hello, may I please speak to Hinata," Sakura smiled at the mirror. She'd been practicing for the past few minutes how she'd ask for her new friend. She had a fear of asking for people over the phone and nor did she know the exact reason. Her friend's had nicknamed it phone-o-phobia. 

'It's now or never,' she gulped, and picked up the receiver and punched in the code. 'Oh my God, oh my God. Ha! No one must be home! That must be it! Hahaha! Just my luck…' and the noise of someone on the other end cut her thoughts.

"Hello?" the deep voice spoke. It was someone she'd never heard before.

This was it. Now or never. "Um…hello…I, err…what I mean is…" great, she was **such** a loser.

"If this is for Neji he—"

"CanIspeaktoHinataplease!" she blurted out all at once, summoning up courage.

Sakura could swear, the other person was glaring into the phone. There was silence for a moment, then some shuffling. "H-hello?" a timid voice spoke, this time recognizable.

"Yes! I did it! Who's good? Me, yes! I—oh, hey Hinata-chan. It's me, Sakura, remember?"

"Y-yes yes, of c-course. But w-what was with t-that cheer before?"

"That, oh. Err, heh, um…it was nothing really. Maybe I'll tell you later."

"O-okay. How did you g-get my number?"

"Yellow-Pages. Works wonders. Anyway, listen. I've been stuck in the deserted hellhole and I need civilization. Could you **please** take me shopping? Or somewhere where I can interact with the outside world?" Sakura was practically on her knees.

The girl on the other end laughed. "Y-you didn't have to b-beg. A-all you had to do was ask. I know this great place in town. M-maybe it'll refresh y-your memory."

"Oh. My. God. You. Are. The. Biggest. Lifesaver. Thank you!" she cried happily.

Hinata laughed again. "You always make me laugh, Sakura-chan. I'll m-meet you at the front o-of my gate in…let's s-say…an hour?"

"You're the best!" was her reply and they both put the phone back into its cradle.

* * *

It would take about three minutes to get to Hinata's house. That left a whole fifteen minutes to get dressed, and some time to get there, if she wanted to stroll. "Okay! This one! It matches my purse," she chirped to no one in particular, holding up a black tank-top and jean shorts. She got changed quickly, and tied her pink hair back in a loose tail and skipped out of the house. 

Shopping, one of the favorite pass-times of most teenaged girls. There's actually no theory to explain it…it's just a phenomenon. So the ecstatic woman walked happily down the path, humming a familiar tune. Nothing could ruin this day. It was perfect. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and she was going to spend some money. Nothing could ruin it…nope…nothing except what did. That tiny little pothole in the road which just **happened** to be in the way of her foot. And then her world went crashing down. And she went with it.

By falling flat on her face. Her hands had caught most of the fall, but her legs didn't so unscathed either. "Oh shit…" she peeled herself off the road, but didn't get up. "I'm a damn mess! Look at this…" she mumbled furiously to no one, wiping the blood from her hands on the jeans. "These are old anyway." Sakura rubbed the dirt from her face.

"As much as a looker as you are coordinated," came a smooth and cool voice. The pink hair turned left then right, but no one was found. Until she looked to the left…and upwards. A figure sat in the tree, about ten feet off the ground.

'His name! I remember! Uchiha…Sasuke!' "What's that?" she shot up angrily and pointed up and the calm boy. "You wanna say something, say it to my face! And what the hell are you doing there? Are you following me, you stalker?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Following you? In your fantasies maybe. Has it never occurred to you that I live around here too, and happen to be sitting in this tree when you drag your clumsy new self down the road and trip and fall flat on your big forehead?"

'Ah! Jerk!' she wanted to scream. Her right eye twitched. "What did you say?" she marched up to the base of the large tree and stared up to meet his cold gaze. "Come down here and face your slap like a man!"

"Now why in the world would I come down if I knew what fate awaited me? You think I'm stupid?"

"Yes!" Sakura retorted, her face still bunched up in childish anger. She watch his shoulders shrug and he slid back on the branch. At first she assumed he was going to fall off. Ha! Served him right after all he said. He deserved to fall on his good-for-nothing face and…wait, she was right under. That would hurt!

Instead, he'd hooked his legs around the piece of wood, and hung upside down, facing her at her level. "Maybe you're right…" he said in a cool voice, and a smirk, played across his features. A blush made it's way across Sakura's. Her mouth opened and closed, yet no sound. His smirk grew wider as he watch her struggle for words. "Cat got your tongue?"

If anyone hadn't guessed by now, Sakura wasn't very good with words. And as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. She wound her hand back to slap him across the face. Unfortunately for her, he'd seen this coming, and moved his head away for a moment. "Why…you…" she growled and stepped backwards. "How do you have the nerve to insult a girl you just met, Sasuke-_kun_."

And there was his opening. She took notice on how his smirk was suddenly wiped of his face. "What's wrong, Sasuke-_kun_? Don't like the name, neh, Sasuke-_kun_. I'm just adding politeness, Sasuke-_kun_." Sakura was laughing inwardly, at each time she said his name, his face turned colder.

"What gives you the right to call me that?" he asked in a venom-coated voice.

"Hm? I'd think that everyone calls you Sasuke-kun, neh?" in truth, most people did. "It's such a fitting name for you, Sasuke-_kun_. A perfect name that suits a perfect face, right, Sasuke-_kun_? Would you rather me call you something else, other than Sasuke-kun? Like maybe Uchiha-kun? Or maybe you'd prefer -sama? No, I think I like –kun better. Because when you say it fast, it sounds like other things, neh, Sasuke-_kun_? Like Saskatoon, perhaps? Don't tell me you don't know where Saskatoon is. Haven't you guys been studying world geography at school? It's in Saskatchewan, which is in, like, Canada!" her rant was just pissing him off more, and he wasn't doing anything at all to hide it. 'To easy,' she snickered, "What's wrong now, Sasuke-kun? Am I wasting your time?"

In one swift movement, he'd unlatched himself from his upside down position and stood facing her on the ground. "You are. I have better things to do rather than talk to you." With that, he turned and walked in the opposite direction.

'Will he do that every time I meet him?' she pondered momentarily before looking at her watch. "You are **so** lucky I have shopping to do today!" she yelled after him, and ran off to the Hyuuga household, where she was now five minutes late.

* * *

Hinata patted down her dark blue hair, as the wind blew gently by. Her father was a bit wary to see her go on such short notice, but she assured him, only going for a few hours to show the new girl around. "I'd send Neji with you but…" sure. Like he'd ever agree to go shopping with the new kid on the block who'd probably come across as a pain in the ass. Of course, Neji wouldn't go shopping period. Her silver eyes glanced down the road, and watched the pink haired teen march up. "Ah! Sakura-chan!" she waved. 

Of course, Sakura took no notice of her, and concentrated more on her incoherent mumbling. "…and then he's got the biggest ego I've ever seen since Yuki, and I swear that's never a good thing. Ooooh! How he pisses the hell out of me with those perfect eyes and perfect jaw line and perfect…" she kept on mumbling and marched past Hinata, who just stood there watching her.

"Sakura-chan?" she called quietly after her.

Still mumbling, she began to walk backwards, noticing that she'd passed her friend. "…and then he has to go all upside down and lend there and ah!" She smiled at her friend, "now, what are we waiting for Hinata? We have serious shopping to do!"

Hinata wasn't sure to be frightened at the sudden change in attitude, or just forget about it and not ask. "Um…okay. T-this way." She pointed straight ahead of her, into a patch of trees. "There's a stairway there that leads to the village," she moved away a few bushes. Sure enough, a flight of stairs were visible. Old, yet there.

"What are they doing here?" Sakura brushed some loose strands of hair back, as the two made their way down the darkened stairs, as it was completely covered with trees overhead.

"W-well where we live is s-sort of on an escarpment. T-the rest of the town is lower down," she explained. At the bottom, sure enough…

"Civilization!" Sakura cried happily hugging her purse. Now this, looked more like a town. Shops, restaurants and people lined the streets. People of all ages running, walking shopping, browsing, you name it, it was happening. "It's starting to look familiar I think. Can we look around for awhile? How long do you have?"

"Um…about three hours."

"That's plenty!" she clapped her hands happily. "Now, off shopping we go!"

It couldn't have been more then a few minutes before they'd gone into a store, and left just as quickly. This pattern continued for awhile, until Sakura got tired. "Man…I'm wiped." She sat down on a bench and looked at Hinata. She hadn't even broken a sweat. "How can you still be standing? Are you like Super Woman or something?"

At this, she didn't answer, and stared down the street. "Hinata-chan…" she followed her gaze to see what she was looking at. Nothing she saw was out of the ordinary…unless she was looking **at** someone, well then that was different. A person who she couldn't quite make out gave a wave of their hand. Sakura didn't know if it was towards them…but it probably was, considering that they were now jogging towards them.

"Hinata!" a male voice called. And a rather rugged looking boy stood in front of them. He to wore a coat, despite the heat, with its collar all furry. It matched his hair, which was of similar brown color. His eyes were small and black, and when he smiled, his eye teeth were overly pointed. Somehow it reminded Sakura of a dog… "How are you doing today?" he asked brightly.

"V-very well, t-thank you, Kiba-kun." Her voice was even softer now.

The boy looked past her and rested his eyes on Sakura, who was sitting on the bench observing them. "And who do we have here, Hinata? What's a pretty girl doing in town without my knowledge?" he extended a hand, and Sakura accepted it, with a small blush. "Inuzuka Kiba."

"Haruno Sakura," she offered a smile. Hey, who knew, if there were more nice guys like this, maybe she **would** get her summer romance. "I'd hardly call myself pretty," she said modestly, and jumped back when she heard a bark come from Kiba's zipped jacket.

He and Hinata laughed, "Don't worry, that's just Akamaru. He doesn't really like to walk around in the city," Kiba explained, and opened it slightly, and a dog jumped out. He was mostly white with long brown ears. He jumped up onto the bench and started to sniff around.

"He's so cute!" she exclaimed patting him on the head between the ears. "I had a cat a few years back, she always liked it in this spot. I guess dogs are the same." Akamaru barked again, and jumped back into Kiba's arms.

"You should watch your mouth. Akamaru doesn't like being compared to things, much less a cat," the owner informed. "Oh yeah, and by the way, Hinata. Neji was looking for you awhile ago, weird guy. I suggest you go find him before he blows something."

"Y-yes, thank you, Kiba-kun. I-I hope you don't mind if we look for him, Sakura-chan?" she said quietly, also giving the dog some attention.

"No, that's fine really. Anyway, nice meeting you, Kiba-kun," she gave him a quick smile, and ran off to join Hinata. "Neh, you two have something together?" she asked once he was out of range.

"W-what? O-oh no, Kiba-kun and I are just old friends…since we were twelve."

"Oh, I see." And they walked in silence. "If this Neji guy is looking for you…does he always do that?"

Hinata's glance shifted for a second. "S-sometimes. He t-thinks about my safety a lot. He's a r-really nice guy, Neji nii-san is…"

"No, I don't doubt you," she said quickly. Maybe this wasn't a good topic. "Say, is that him? I saw him at your house the other day and I assumed he was Neji…"

"O-oh, yes. How silly of me not to see him." She ran up to the tall boy, and he turned at her appearance. "Nii-san, K-Kiba-kun said you wished to see me?"

His eyes were exactly those of Hinata's. Silver in color, but a bit more…how to say, confident? "Hinata-sama. Yes there's something that—" his gaze shifted to behind his cousin, "you know this girl?" he asked staring straight at her.

Sakura felt her insides churn. 'What is this? This feeling?' "Um…hello. I'm Haruno Sakura, I just moved here and Hinata was just showing me around…"

"I see," his voice was calm, yet something about his eyes… "I'm Hyuuga Neji. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he bowed in politeness. "But please, excuse us for a moment, Sakura-san."

"R-right…" she stepped away from the two. 'Everyone so far is really friendly. Kiba, Neji, Hinata. They're all so polite and nice. Unlike **some** people that have also greeted me. More like annoyed me!' An image of Sasuke flashed before her eyes. 'Damn, I don't know why, but he gets under my skin **so** easily! Bastard! Why I oughta…' her fists opened and closed, 'he annoys me to no end!' "You idiot!" she screamed, and drilled her fist into the ground.

Two pairs of silver eyes came to meet the pink haired infuriated teen. Along with several other pedestrians. 'Now look what he's made me done!' she thought furiously and removed her hand from the cement. There was a dent where her hand had been. 'Oww…hit that a bit to hard…'

'What monstrous strength,' Neji was impressed. Such a fragile looking girl could create a hole in the sidewalk? Mental note, never piss her off…

"Um…Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked warily, since it'd been her second time getting mad in her presence today.

Her friend smiled. "Sorry. Something happened today before I came…and it made me really mad, sorry if I scared you…um, did I interrupt your conversation?"

"No, that's fine. We were finished," the male Hyuuga responded. "Hinata-sama. I will see you back at the house then. Nice meeting you, Sakura-san." He nodded his head and in turn also walked away.

"You're cousin's a nice guy. Everyone seems really friendly here except for…well never mind." The blue haired girl nodded. "Oh yeah, this might seem like an odd question, but why does he call you Hinata-sama? I mean, aren't you two family?"

She didn't quite know how to answer. "Um, I can't say exactly…" she replied, then smiled. "Anyway, I want to head home now. Meet me here tomorrow. I have the cutest little café I want to take you to."

Sakura smiled. "Sounds great! I wouldn't miss it for the world." The two left the village area after that.

Meanwhile, a person from the shadows had heard the entier conversation. "Haruno…Sakura, huh?"

* * *

**AN: **well, chapter 2 done and done. Sorry for the long update. What can I say about this chapter? The whole Saskatoon thing came to my friend, actually, and I really got a kick out of it! (that's us Canadians for you…) I just realized that the actual school doesn't start until like…chapter 7 -laughs- so long from now…I still need to introduce everyone, after all. And yes, I realize the characters are a bit OOC. I find it kinda hard to keep Sakura in character so much with this fic, but she will get less crazy as time passes...Now, I'll like it if you guys R&R! But you already did the first R, (most likely) so the 2nd R would be nice:P 


	3. Teen Heartthrob? Oh Please!

**Disclaimer: **Again…I only own the plot!

**Chapter 3**: **Teen Heartthrob? Oh Please!**

To go in, or not to go in? That was indeed the question. Sakura bit her bottom lip and stared at the small café that Hinata had mentioned. "_It's called Fire Country. You can't miss it. It's right on the corner of Main and 25th Avenue. The one with big red sign in front of it. It's the local hangout for most of the teens here._" That last note made Sakura all the jitterier. Not only was she going to meet her new friend but also whoever was there probably would be attending her new high school, come September.

"Hey move it," a girl that looked about two years younger brushed past Sakura and stepped inside the café. Great, she was being pushed around by younger kids now too.

"Alright here I go!" she declared to no one, and pushed open the door. 'Please, oh please let her be here before me! If I'm here by myself I'll totally freak!' she prayed and looked around. Hinata was over at a table in the corner, sitting alongside her cousin Neji. 'Are those two ever apart?' she said remembering how Hinata had explained their 'bond' earlier. With a deep breath, she walked to their table. "Um…hi. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she scratched the back of her head.

"A-ah! Sakura-chan, no, no. Sit down, please," Hinata pointed to a free chair around the circular table. She did as she was told, and took a place between the two.

"Well it's nice seeing you again, Neji-kun," Sakura smiled sweetly, adding the honorific as politeness. She wasn't exactly sure how to talk to him yet.

He gazed at her through those pale eyes, making her insides feel weird again. "Yes, you too, Sakura-san," he finally spoke. The table was plunged into an odd silence after that. No one really knew what to say.

"Um…do you guys come here often?" Sakura decided to try and spark up a conversation.

"S-sometimes," Hinata was the one to answer, "I u-usually meet my other friends here. They might come today, j-just out of pure coincidence." She twirled a lock of hair between to fingers. She was hoping someone else would come too.

"Hey Hinata-chan, Neji-kun," a new feminine voice piped up. The three looked in the direction, and saw a woman, also their age standing with one hand on her hip. Her hair was a pale blonde and quite long, even when it was up in a ponytail. Her baby blue eyes shone as brightly as her smile.

Something sort of slapped Sakura in the face. She knew this girl! It was from before she had moved, that's for sure. What was her name…oh yes! "I-Ino…" Sakura stood up reluctantly, and faced the other girl.

She looked back, with questioning eyes. "S…Sakura?" she finally pointed her index finger towards the pink haired girl. "AH!" they both screamed, hugging each other like their sport's team had just won the championship. "Oh my God! How long has it been? Like ten years? What are you doing back here?"

"My family moved back. I can't believe your still here! If I'd known you'd have been like the first person I hunted down!" Sakura was so glad that she'd found an old friend, and returned to her seat, Ino pulling up a chair next to her. "So tell me what's happened."

"Oh my God! Where to start? Well since you've left not many of the same people are around anymore but there are tons of new ones…" and the two were completely gone from the real world.

The Hyuuga siblings then felt kind of awkward. They were just sitting there, while the two other females chatted away. "You sure have an interesting taste in friends, Hinata-sama," her cousin remarked, breaking their silence.

"Y-yes well…" she paused, "I wouldn't call the people you have over everyday normal."

He gave a small, yet rare smile. "No, you're right. I don't really know how I got involved with them either…"

And then one other familiar face walked through the café door. "Hiiiiiiiiiiinata!" the male voice called, running over to their table. It was a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. Sort of like Ino's except darker. He wore orange pants and a white tee. "I thought I could find you here…" he turned to Neji, "oh ya, about the other day. Listen I'm really sorry and…"

The other boy held up his hand, "It's okay, don't worry about it. It's partially Lee's fault anyway."

"I guess so," he replied, pulling up a chair from another table. "Is that Sakura?" he asked pointing at the girl who was still in deep conversation with Ino.

"H-how did you know, Naruto-kun?" she asked very quietly, looking down at her shoes.

"Well I was going to ask you something yesterday when you were outside near the arcade. But you were talking to her," he jerked his thumb towards Sakura, "and then you guys left right after. Haha. I was going to introduce myself, but I see she's a bit busy…"

"…and then seriously he comes up and goes…" Ino trailed off, looking around the table, "I thought I heard you, Naruto. No wonder it got so loud!"

Sakura tore her attention from Ino and looked to the new boy, "Um…hello…err, Naruto."

"Nice to meet you, Sakura." He was grinning like a madman. 'She's so cute!' was running through his mind, 'I wonder if I should ask her out…'

More footsteps made their way towards the table. 'Whoa, it's a party…' she thought dryly, until she looked up. Dark hair, onyx eyes, flat expression…oh no… Sakura wanted to scream, "Ah! It's you!" but her voice was suddenly lost.

"Yo," he greeted in his usual monotone voice. "So the regulars are here again. Plus one." He didn't even show any signs of knowing her. His clothes were a bit different today, as he wore the restaurant uniform. Just a black shirt with the café's logo, and jeans.

"Ah! Saskue-kun!" Ino almost shrieked, giving him her full attention.

"Hello…t-this is Sakura," Hinata informed him, though he already knew.

"Hey, Sasuke! Can't you go bother someone else instead of flirting over here?" asked a very annoyed-looking Naruto.

"Hn. What gives you that idea, dumbass? I am only doing my job." And the two went into a staring contest.

Ino giggled, "They act like that all the time, but they're the best of friends. Weird huh?" she told Sakura, who was still looking for her voice.

"So what'll it be?" Sasuke asked finally, after Neji pulled the two apart.

"The usual," Neji answered.

"Same here!" cried Ino, looking longingly at Sasuke, who took no notice, or didn't show it.

"Same old," Naruto responded with a sigh. He would have won too!

"Usual," Hinata replied after everyone.

Sasuke nodded and turned to leave, then paused, and turned back. "And you?" Sakura wanted to scream, that's all really. Scream really, really loudly…in hope to break someone's eardrum if possible. However, her voice was still lost, so her mouth opened and closed like a fish. Great, she was making yet another fool out of herself. "Well?" he asked rather impatiently.

"S-she'll have the same as me," Hinata answered for her. The dark haired boy nodded and left towards the counter. Once he was beyond earshot, the four began to chuckle, minus Naruto, who was sort of grumbling.

"Huh? What?" Sakura asked confused that she was so left out of the joke.

"Nothing," Neji answered.

"It's just funny to see new people gape over Uchiha Sasuke," Ino continued. "See, Sasuke-kun is like the most popular person to ever set foot in this town. Every girl at school who doesn't already have a boyfriend is pinning after him, no matter what grade. Myself included," she smiled proudly.

Sakura wanted to hurl. So this guy had a fan club too? And did they all think that she liked him? Oh, if they only knew. Maybe she did like him…like to slap his perfect face, for the other day. She could hold a grudge…

"But you know," Ino continued after she'd returned from la-la-land, "I think he was around when you were still here. I'm surprised you don't remember him at all. How could you forget such a handsome face?" Then she went back off sighing, while Naruto waved his hand in front of her face. Yes, she was gone.

Sakura shrugged, not sure if she should try talking again. Handsome he was, she'd give him that. But that didn't make up for his attitude and such. "I don't know. Don't remember much," she managed to get out.

Another waiter was the one who brought the orders, leaving the tray on the table for the teens to take what they wanted. They were all forms of shakes, or drinks. "H-here," Hinata offered, "this one's for you."

"Oh, um, thanks," she took it reluctantly, and drank it slowly. It really was good, well as good as a chocolate shake gets.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, it's good, neh, neh?" Naruto grinned from the opposite end of the table. She nodded slowly. Then he looked at his watch. "What?" he screamed, causing everyone else at the table to cover their ears. Talk about loud. "Neji! Did you forget? There's practice today! If we're late sensei will kill us!"

Neji nodded, "Please excuse us. I was careless in watching the time." He and Naruto left some money on the table and left right after.

"A man of few words, your cousin is," Sakura remarked after they were gone.

"Y-yes well he and Naruto-kun and some others study martial arts. They take it quite seriously," informed Hinata, who looked somewhat relieved the two were gone.

"Excuse me for a moment. There's something I want to do," Ino said rather giddily. She stood up and went towards the front where the counter was.

"Does she like, live for that guy?" Sakura asked, finishing her shake and putting the empty glass on the table. She sighed, "I mean look at that. I like her as a friend and all but is that all necessary to get that jerk?" she pointed towards the front where the blonde had practically latched onto Sasuke's arm.

Hinata coughed, "T-that's an odd thing to say for someone you like. You'd be surprised, most girls do that too."

"Nah, I don't like him. I'm not that great with people, so sometimes I just loose my voice and clam up," she said dryly. "I met him before. He's such an ass." Her emerald eyes glared towards him, and she resisted the urge to stick out her tongue.

"I-is that so…" Hinata laughed, "well you certainly fooled all of us. I don't think there's ever been a girl who didn't think he was cute…even me, at one point." Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Oh? I never said he wasn't cute. He's just a jerk. I'd never chase after anyone who had looks but no personality. I don't see what they see in him…I guess," she shrugged.

Hinata smiled, "I guess you're right. But ever since I've known him, well we've never really sat down and talked before, but he keeps to himself most of the time."

"Hn. I could have guessed. Anyway…" she stood up, "I'm going to head home now. Mom wants me to do something…oh yeah! What do I owe you?"

"Nothing, this time. It's on me."

"You're the best!" Sakura hugged her blue topped friend, "and tell Ino I'll see her soon." She slung her purse over her shoulder and walked out the door, feeling somewhat better, knowing that she could now enter a restaurant without freezing up.

* * *

"Teddy goes up…and comes down. Up, then down. Up and down," Sakura was throwing her stuffed animal as she lay on her bed. Why was it now that she was always bored? It was **summer** for gosh sakes! She should be heading leisurely down to the beach in her new swimsuit, causing everyone to turn heads. Well, maybe the turning heads thing was a bit of an exaggeration, but still. Summer equaled beach or pool equaled free guys! It was simple logic! 

Where'd she be now if she was back home? At the beach maybe? At a pool maybe? Spending countless hours with friends who had connections **maybe**? This topic was not a good stress reliever. 'Maybe I'll give Temari a call…I doubt she'll be home…'

And of course she wasn't. She knew her friend all too well for that. That girl didn't even spend five minutes at home every week. Always crashing at someone else's place, or over at her cousin's. It was a mystery what her parents thought. When Sakura called, her Dad had picked up, saying how she was over at a friend's and asked if he could relay a message. Of course, she knew that he would never actually remember, so she left it at that. Damn, and it was long-distance too…she'd get a talk from her parents later…

'Now what's left to do?' it was only four o'clock, and the sun was still high. She looked out the window for the fortieth time that day. She doubted her friends wanted to see her again for an hour then leave. 'What a waste of a good day…' she sighed, and her eyes rested on the overhanging branch. 'Hmm. I have the sudden urge to climb a tree. Like maybe, if by any chance I **do** happen to want to sneak out, I know I can use this!'

Sakura carefully stepped onto her windowsill, and leaned out of the window. Her hands gripped the bark. 'God, I hope gymnastics classes paid off, because if not, I'll become the world's first human pancake…' Taking in a deep breath, she swung onto the branch, and managed to pull herself up to safety. 'Yes, success! Now, to get down…'

Moving slowly, but swiftly, she found that the branches were fairly close together, and were easy to step down on…like a ladder. The last branch was about seven feet off the ground. 'Alright, here I…huh?'

A figure walked by her spot, not noticing she was there. Well, that was probably because she was still hidden among the leaves. 'Sasuke-kun?' her eyes followed him, and watch him stop at the front of her gate again. 'He must be off work now…and why does he always stand there? That's it!'

He waited there for a few more moments, then resumed his trail and kept on walking. When she couldn't see him anymore from her location, she swung down and looked ahead. Indeed he was still there, hands jammed in his pockets, taking a slow pace. She followed from a distance. So far he hadn't noticed, and she prayed it stayed like that. 'Why does this feel wrong?' she asked her inner self, who simply shrugged in reply.

The Uchiha boy turned a corner, and once again disappeared from Sakura's view. If she ran up to catch up now, he'd notice her and then the whole 'mission' would be a total failure. Then again, if she continued like this, he may turn yet another corner, or house depending on what was down there, and she'd loose him too. So she did half of both.

She picked up her pace, and a minute later came upon the same corner. Except there was no one in front of her. Just a small stretch of forest, then some flats in the distance. 'What…?' she ran a little bit down the emptied street and then stopped just as fast.

"Looking for someone?" asked an all too familiar voice.

Sakura froze. He was behind her…but how? She did a 180 and stared at the man she had been following. "How…but…" her words were getting lost again.

"It's not good to follow people you know. They might think you're a stalker and call the cops," he informed. His eyes seemed to rend the other immobile.

"Y-you're one to talk! I don't know how many times you stop by my place and just stare! It's freaky! All I want to know is **why**!" and the other said nothing. Well then, if he wouldn't talk, she'd force him too. It was a pretty lame plan actually, but it had only been formulated in literally two seconds. "Fine!" and in seconds had made her way behind him.

She didn't exactly notice how much their height difference was until she was right next to him. She reached up and hooked her elbow around his neck, trying to cut off some of his air supply. Not all, she didn't want to get charged for murder. "I swear, talk!" she hissed.

However, she didn't expect what would happen next. He took one hand, and pried himself loose, with almost no effort at all. Oh, crap. This would not turn out well. And she was already shaken up over his sudden appearance, but now, she also had to face a glare. But this one was different from the other ones she'd received. This one made the others look like smiles. Yes, it was indeed a deadly glare. He looked ready enough to kill. She prayed he didn't have a knife with him.

He took a step towards her, and she, one back. They followed the same suit until Sakura felt her back touch a tree. Things were indeed looking bad. His right hand moved up slowly from his side. She drew in a sharp breath, and it was a good thing too. She could feel his hand tighten around her neck, cutting off her air. Her nails latched onto his arm, but to no effect.

"Is that all you can ask me? Why? If I said I don't want to tell you, I won't. I want this clear to you that this time I'm serious," his grip tightened, "get out of my sight. Next time, I will kill you." Sasuke released her neck and watch her fall to her knees, inhaling large quantities of oxygen at once. Not bothering to stay any longer, he continued his route, and stuffed his hands once again in his pockets, ignoring the stinging feeling where Sakura had dug in her nails, which had caused the newly healed skin under the bandages to open up again. "Che."

Sakura, on the other hand, still sat on the ground, to stunned and scared to move. Her hands shook, as she placed them around the place that was once held. 'He…he was serious. He looked like he was going to murder me right then and there…' Salt pricked at the back of her eyes. 'I knew he was a jerk, but he didn't have to be so…"

_"Get out of my sight. Next time, I will kill you."_

Next, her soiled hands moved to her face, not caring if she got all muddy. Her shoulders began to shake, and her cheeks become wet. "You didn't have to be so cruel about it!" she screamed to no one. Because that's who cared, no one. "I'm such a loser." She didn't even know the guy that well, but every single one of his words hurt. She hated herself right now. She hated him, she hated everyone.

Then it dawned on her. Uchiha Sasuke was the only male to ever make her cry.

* * *

**AN: **Yes…well, I didn't exactly know what to write. Good gosh, I made everyone OOC! -goes into corner and pouts and sighs- oh well…it doesn't seem like I'm leading up to anything at this point, does it? Yea, about the ending there…I wasn't too sure what to do, and this idea kind of popped into my head. Not the greatest, I know, but it gives me something to work with temporarily. And another thing, sorry for the long update! I was so swamped with work I just couldn't write a word! I guess that's what happens near the end of the year. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys made my day! So until next time! 


	4. Intro to Taijutsu Lee, Neji, and Tenten

**Disclaimer: **See Previous

* * *

**Chapter 4**: Intro to Taijutsu; Lee, Neji, and Tenten

How long had it been? A day, a week, a month? No, certainly not a day, that was too short. It felt like a month, but then school would have been just around the corner. So it probably was a week. Sakura was locked in her room, rarely leaving. She'd told her mother she was sick. One of those summer colds. Thankfully, she'd believed her and that was the end of that.

But the real reason she was cooped up inside, was to gather her thoughts. Every night the last conversation with Uchiha Sasuke replayed in her mind.

_"Get out of my sight. Next time, I will kill you."_

She gripped the sheets on her bed tightly. Why was that affecting her so much? It's not as if he really did mean it…right? I mean, wouldn't he get caught and go to jail…or something? 'I can see the headlines now. New girl gets stabbed; police baffled. The Haruno family was worried on Saturday night, when their daughter didn't come home. They took a walk up and down the streets, to find her lying in a ditch and in her own blood. She'd been stabbed, the medical examiner reported. However, there was no trace to the actually murderer. They seemed to have vanished without a trace…

'Yes, that would go over quite nicely with people,' she sighed. Things were miserable again. She wanted to tell someone, anyone. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to go to her friends for help. For one, they probably wouldn't even believe her that the one and only perfect Uchiha would threaten to kill.

But his face…his face looked like he was ready to. She hadn't seen such a murderous face since Gaara. 'That's right, Gaara. I haven't talked to him yet. Maybe I'll give him a call…'

She picked up the receiver and listened to the dial tone. On second thought, he'd probably ask why she was so miserable then he'd probably find his way here and kill the bastard who caused it. Gaara was a great guy…well…once you got to know him, but he was always a bit…protective of his friends. It was a long story, and not particularly interesting or relevant either.

Not that she wouldn't have liked to see Sasuke get beat up and such, but she never wanted to see blood ever again. Be her own, her friends, her enemies or complete strangers, in these times, she never wanted to see any of that gooey red substance.

She gently put the phone back down. 'Maybe when I feel better I'll call him.' Then less than a second later, it rang, scaring the living daylights out of the already stressed out Sakura. She waited a ring before actually answering, praying it wasn't anyone she really didn't want to talk to. "Hello?" she asked waiting for a reply, but none came, "hello? Who is this?"

"She lives!" cried the person on the other end, causing Sakura to pull her ear away from the phone momentarily. She knew who this was.

"Oh, hi Ino…"

"Don't 'oh hi Ino' me! Where in the world have you been all week? We thought you were dead or something!"

'Please don't remind me of death,' she thought silently, and then answered back, "Yeah, sorry about that. I was…um…sick all week. I was feeling totally miserable and I was…"

"Okay, enough description," she said rather disgusted, "but you sound like you're feeling better. Come over today, wontcha?"

"Err…" did she want to risk going out? Maybe Sasuke would be there coincidentally and then she'd be murdered on the spot. On second thought, she was really just becoming paranoid. She couldn't let what one person said completely ruin the rest of her summer, now could she? "Okay, sounds good. Where?"

"Hinata's place of course. When we're not at Fire Country, we're always here. There's much more interesting stuff here then in town," Ino laughed.

"Are you sure you should be inviting me over to someone else's house?"

"Don't be silly. I'm already here. Now hurry up and get your ass over. The door and gate will be unlocked, so says Hinata. And you'll be able to tell where we are. Okay? Love ya, see you soon!" and then there was a dial tone.

"Um, sounds great," she told it, and replaced the phone. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

She opened the gate to the Hyuuga estate and walked slowly up its path. She luckily hadn't met anyone along the way, and convinced herself as long as it was during the day, Sasuke probably had work.

Sighing, Sakura opened the door, which was indeed unlocked. "And now how do I find them…" she wondered out loud, looking around the place that reminded her of a maze. Then she heard a crash. "I'm guessing there…seems Ino isn't the only one around." She followed the sounds of more thuds and screams until she found herself back at the lounge that she and Hinata had looked into the first time she was over.

Again, more guys were in there. Neji of course, and then she recognized Naruto and Kiba as well. Then she looked over to one side of the room near the door, and sure enough, there sat Hinata and Ino.

"Ah! You came," Ino said looking up to her and motioning her to sit down, which she did.

"H-hello Sakura-chan," Hinata smiled.

She returned it, "Hi there. So what's happening here?" she looked around. Right now Neji was on his feet facing another male who she'd never seen before. He had black hair, which seemed to be gelled down quite well. He wore a tight green shirt, and long black pants. His face was set to a serious expression. This also brought out his most noticeable feature; very, very thick eye brows.

"Martial arts," Ino replied, "they always do this. You just missed Naruto and Kiba's fight. Now that was something…not to mention destructive. I think they broke at least two lamps, ripped up one curtain and probably dented the floor."

"Okay then…" she looked around, "they do this on a tiled floor without any mats or anything?"

"Yeah, don't ask me why. They feel like no pain," Ino said dryly. "Anyway, just watch."

So her green orbs focussed on the two who stood in the center of the room. "Neji! I don't want you to hold back. Just because I broke my leg a few months ago means nothing. Give me everything you've got!" the dark haired teen said. Neji didn't say anything in reply, and just stood there, about ten feet away from him. "Fine, if you won't come at me, I will."

Sakura didn't have even a moment to blink before she saw 'thick brows' had closed the ten-foot gap. But what she'd found even more amazing, was the fact that his opponent had anticipated it, and moved his head out of a kick's way.

"So fast…" she thought aloud. Hinata and Ino both nodded.

That was basically the pace of the match. Thick-brows on the offense, Neji on the defense. However, it didn't seem that Hyuuga was giving much effort. That is, until a punch had managed to skin his right cheek, and he jumped back.

"I thought I told you to be serious!" said his opponent.

Neji looked at him straight in the eye. "Fine." And he went down into a new pose. His feet were spread apart, one in front of the other and knees bent. His palms were facing upwards.

"That's an odd stance," remarked Sakura, "I've never seen that before."

"It's one of the martial arts styles that only our family uses," explained Hinata. The other two females listened attentively, but didn't remove their eyes from the main match. "In ancient times, there existed a substance called 'chakara'. This was sort of like energy, and gave people special abilities. This was one of the Hyuuga clan's styles of fighting, or taijutsu. It's called the Gentle Fist, but it concentrated this chakara into the palms and used it against certain parts of the body for either injury or even killing."

"But if this chakara thing doesn't exist now, why fight like that?" asked Sakura.

"Neji nii-san likes to use this stance called 'kaiten'. He says it gives him an almost 360 degree view of the area. Just watch, this'll all end soon."

"Good, now that you're serious…" the black topped boy once again lunged at Neji with that amazing speed. With swift movements, he blocked all the kicks with his hands. They hardly seemed to move at all.

This time around, Neji decided to take some offense. He'd found an opening, and with his upturned palm, he shoved it into his opponent's gut. The Thick-brows bent over in pain, which was the last opening the Hyuuga boy needed to send him a kick, which landed with precision, and caused the other to fly backwards into the wall.

End of match.

"Oh my goodness! Is he alright?" asked a worried Sakura who stood up right after the match was over.

"You mean Lee? He's fine, you shouldn't worry about him," said Ino with a wave of her hand.

Naruto began to laugh uncontrollably. "Hey Fuzzy-brows! You should know you can't beet Neji! Didn't I tell you that before?"

Lee stirred from his place on the floor and rubbed his head, 'He really was serious this time. Damn.' His round eyes wandered the room and lay on the girl he'd heard been called Sakura. 'Wow, she's really pretty. And caring, I think that's the first time if somebody's been worried about me like that.' He stood up shakily and turned to Neji, who was once again occupying his seat on the sofa. "Next time, I'll beat you for sure! If I don't…I'll run 200 times around you're estate!"

"Sure," was all he got in reply, which was the usual response.

With his head up high, he marched over to where the three girls were sitting…or in Sakura's case, standing. "Sorry about that. Did I worry you?" he asked her.

At first Sakura wondered who he was talking to. Then she realized she was the only one who actually took any notice that he was remotely hurt. She gave a nervous laugh, "Well I guess. But then they told me this happens all the time and…um…" she began to feel aware of all eyes staring at them.

"Your name is Sakura, right?" he asked with an utmost serious face. She nodded. " My name is Rock Lee. Now that we're familiar, let's go out together."

If it hadn't been for the wall, Sakura would have fallen over. That question had just been the most foreign thing ever asked. "Excuse me?" she choked on her words slightly.

"You name is Sakura, mine is Rock Lee. Let's go out together," he repeated, just like she didn't hear a word he'd just said. Naruto and Kiba both began to laugh quietly amongst themselves, but loud enough so everyone could hear. Lee, chose to ignore it.

"I…I heard you the first time. Um, w-well Lee-san…I…" man, this was so embarrassing. "How to say this lightly…well…I just met you a-and all…so…um…no."

Lee looked rather hurt. "Another man?"

Sakura pushed some hair behind her ears. "Err…" all eyes were upon her. She'd never **ever** live this down. "Sort of…"

Naruto, who was sitting on a chair couldn't take it anymore, and fell off. "Fuzzy-brows! You can't get much lamer then that!" he was in another one of those laughing fits. Lee turned his head and ignored him. "**This **is how you ask a girl out," Naruto pushed his friend out of the way and stood a good half a head taller then she. "Sakura-chan, how would you like to go on a date with me this evening?"

It was Ino's turn to put an opinion down, "Look who's miss popular today. I wonder who's next?"

The pink haired teen was turning red. Even she hadn't expected one, never mind two boys to ask her out in one day. "I…I said I wasn't interested in seeing anyone. Got it? Get it through your heads!" she spat out rather quickly, and to take out her frustration, swung her fist in no matter which direction.

Turns out that it accidentally hit Naruto in the face, and sent him flying into the wall a good 15 meters back. The whole room quieted once more. This time, she didn't say anything as to if he was alright from hitting that wall. "Oww. That wasn't necessary you know…" he rubbed his cheek and got up.

"Sorry Naruto-kun. But that felt good. I haven't punched an actually person in awhile," she cracked her knuckles. Now she felt a bit more relaxed.

"What? You know martial arts too? Ah! How come I'm the only one who doesn't?" Ino whined getting up. "I only know the basics from what Shika taught me…"

"Hey, what did I say about that name?" said a new voice. Sakura turned to the opposite side of the door, where she hadn't looked. Sure enough, there was another boy sitting there. He had brown hair tied in a sort of topknot. She'd seen him before too, the first time she was there. He had been the bored looking one.

"Don't be so uptight, Shikamaru," Ino replied, using his full name this time around. "And you haven't even introduced yourself to the new girl? Shameful!"

"Sorry Mom," he said in that same tone, then looked up at Sakura. "Hey, welcome to Neji's house. Our home away from home."

"You need to get off your lazy ass sometimes you know," the blonde female continued, "I know, you go have a fight with Sakura. I want to see her martial arts techniques!"

Somehow the pink haired girl was beginning to wonder how she'd gotten involved in their little dispute. "Why? I don't like to fight girls. It's troublesome…" he replied monotone.

"Everything is troublesome to you. Now stop acting like the crack-user you are and get up!" Ino flared angrily, towering over him.

"We've been over this! I do **not** smoke crack or weed or anything! That was only those two times! There's nothing wrong with acting stoned!" he got up and glared right back into her blue eyes. Their foreheads were pressed one against the other.

Kiba made his way over to the both of them. "Alright, you two just work out your drug argument out there, and come back when you're ready. Thanks for playing," and he shoved them both out the door, and slammed it behind. They could here the two still eating at each other from the other side. Something about being a jackass and a bitch then a slap maybe…

"I'm sorry if I caused that…" Sakura spoke to no one in particular.

"They're always like that," said Hinata who hadn't spoken in awhile.

"And more importantly, who are you going to face?" muttered Kiba, "everyone has gone already. I doubt anyone wants to go twice…"

"Wha? What do you mean face? I still have to fight?" she said in a rather disbelieving tone.

"Of course you do, Sakura-chan! It's like a membership to the club. You have to face someone," Naruto piped up, but keeping his distance.

'Club? What club?' was going through Sakura's mind, as well as everyone else's. 'Maybe it's a kind of metaphor or something.'

"Never mind him," Kiba shook his head and continued, "Neji, you fight her."

His silver eyes traveled to Kiba, then to Sakura. Why him? "Sure," he said plainly and rose slowly to his feet.

'What in the world did I get myself into?' her green eyes studied the man several feet from her. 'But if I must…' She wasn't that great at this type of art to begin with. She'd much rather use her head then soil her hands. 'Let's see. With Lee-san, he played defensive. He's got great speed and uses those upturned palms…and whatever I do, I can't let him go on the offensive. Then I'm cooked.'

The room silenced once more, and she could feel all eyes bore down on her. One thing kept raging through her mind. 'Don't screw this up!' They both stood still, neither one making the first move. 'If I don't do something quick, he'll probably take the offensive and then I'll die and then no one will care! Then I'll haunt them from the grave and…ah! How did I get myself into this?'

On the tips of her feet, she raced towards him. Not anywhere as fast as Rock Lee's speed, but still. What she lacked in speed, she could make up in strength. She threw him a punch, which he blocked. She sent him a kick, which he blocked, all using the same Gentle Fist style.

This was getting her no where. Perhaps she'd ware him down, then attack? No, he'd probably go on the offensive and finish it before then. So her only option left was to devise a strategy. 'Let's see, it takes him one hand to block a punch, but two to block a kick. He's faster than me so every time I finish one move, he's a step ahead.'

_"Neji nii-san likes to use this stance called 'kaiten'. He says it gives him an almost 360 degree view of the area."_

Well, he hadn't used that pose. So did that mean his vision was less? It was worth a shot. She threw him two punches at the same time, which he caught with ease. 'I hope you're strong,' she prayed and used his hands as support, so she could back flip over his head. He was caught off-guard momentarily.

She wondered exactly how good it was, so she tried a kick. His hand shot back and took the impact, which means he knew exactly where it was headed. 'Damn,' they simultaneously thought. However Sakura's was because he still might have had that almost 360 vision. Neji, because since it was only one arm, it had stung from the strength of her kick.

He whirled around quickly and faced her. Then it was back to the punch, kick and block routine. 'Shoot. Okay, new strategy. I've got to get his hands immobile for just a moment. If I kick, he'll block with both hands and that would be the best time to punch. But my legs are longer then my arms, so that's pretty much useless. But I've got to do something like that…'

She could see him growing restless. It was now or never. So she brought up her foot, and both his hands followed to block, as expected. 'Now!' she stopped halfway and threw a punch instead. But nothing ever goes according to plan for Sakura, so she hadn't measured the distance very well, and her fist had only barely come in contact with his cheek.

It was still strong enough to send him stumbling back a few paces. He could still feel the tiny pain in his cheekbone from her hit, even though he'd just caught the end of it, and not the full blow. It was time to get serious. He couldn't be pushed around by a girl. Neji descended upon his 'kaiten' stance.

Sakura was breathing heavily. Now she knew, it would be even harder to win. 'I've got to make the first move again,' she took a step forward. 'Okay what do I do…eh?'

It was his turn to take offense. 'For the love of…ack!' she cold only block with two hands to avoid her face. Then she could only use one hand at a time to block each of his Gentle Fist attacks. But every one of his attacks hurt in some way. They all seemed to land with precision between the muscle and the bone. 'His hands move too damn fast,' she bit her lip and stepped back, only to find some sort of object on the floor and one can guess what happened next.

It was quite obvious to her, that she was bound to fall over at some point in front of everyone. Today just happened to be the day. "Ah!" but like screaming was going to do much…so like everything that follows the laws of gravity, she plummeted to the floor, but her hands breaking most of the fall. Neji had her beat, that was for certain. So she closed her eyes and waited for the final blow…

However, none came. She heard a 'whack' of a sound, then nothing. She cracked an eye open, to see that the male Hyuuga wasn't even looking at her.

"Hey, I thought **I** was your only training partner!" said a rather annoyed female voice, that was strange to Sakura. She looked past her opponent, and there indeed stood a new face she'd never seen.

She was a tall and slender figure. Her auburn hair was tied into two buns, at either side of her head. She wore a Chinese-styled shirt, and loose black sweats. Her dark eyes gazed menacingly at Neji.

"This isn't exactly what I'd call training, Tenten," he replied smoothly rubbing the spot where her hand had smacked him across the head.

"Humph, as long as you're serious about it, it might as well be training." Her hands rested on her hips, "You have a knack for 'wandering' off when I'm not around." She turned to Sakura, who had gotten up, with all the confusion, and looked around the room. Naruto and Kiba were talking between them, quietly for once, and Lee and Hinata were observing the growing situation. "So you're the new kid everyone's been talking about lately."

The pink haired girl didn't quite know what to say in return. Was she like testing her or something?

"Tenten," she extended her hand, which the other took reluctantly. "Last name isn't important. And sorry if I sounded kind of rude earlier," she went and took a seat next to Neji on the sofa, "I just tend to get a bit…well, when this guy and his training is concerned." Her ruffled his dark hair playfully, which he didn't seem to appreciate too much.

"Tenten! Tenten!" cried Lee from a corner, "how about supervising my training today?"

She gave him a smile. "Wasn't Sensei going to train with you later?" she asked.

"Yes, but…no, you're right. Maybe another day then?"

"Sure thing."

Sakura stood there feeling rather alone again. She knew all of these people by name, but she felt like the biggest outcast in the world. Everyone was so comfortable around each other…well sort of. She inwardly sighed. Maybe all she needed was time, and the rest would come in a snap. There were still so many things about everyone that she didn't understand…

The door swung open, stopping all thoughts and conversations. Ino and Shikamaru both strode in, her arms crossed, his stuffed in his pockets.

"So did you guys kiss and make up?" Naruto asked teasingly as to why they were outside so long.

"Oh please," they both replied. "Like I'd ever kiss that looser," was continued from Ino, and at the same moment, "Like I'd ever kiss that whore," from Shikamaru.

"What?" and they both glared at each other.

"Who're you calling a looser?"

"Who're you calling a whore?"

"Why you!" they both were back to their bickering, as everyone rolled their eyes. Well, almost everyone. Sakura could tell that this would go one for quite some time…

And truthfully, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

**AN: **Um, yeah…about this chapter. It was really supposed to be up **last** Monday, but stuff happened and it's a week late. Sorry! Um, also…I really had no freaking idea how to write this stupid filler chapter, so I kept restarting and blah blah blah, you get it…I hope. This chapter was really different from how I imagined it, the whole fighting thing. I had to keep it somewhat Naruto-based. So anyway, don't you guys worry, the SasuSaku moments are coming, next chapter most like. I'll update faster this time, promise! 


	5. Avoiding

**Disclaimer: **Same as always.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Avoiding**

"No way! Then what?" Sakura leaned onto the table, just so she didn't miss a single detail. She was over at Tenten's place one Thursday afternoon. The two had become really good friends over the past three weeks.

"What do you mean 'then what?'" she laughed, "that's it. End of story."

"Damn," she twisted her face in disappointment; "it was getting good too. I can't believe you actually had the guts to smash that vase over his head! He could have died, or gone into a coma!"

"Sakura-chan," she paused for an extra dramatic effect, "this **is** Lee we're talking about. That kid will never die no matter how many times you kick, punch, throw or smash a vase over his head. I wonder what he's really made of sometimes…"

"True," she had to agree, "I would have done the same probably. I mean, he is extra-nice to girls but sometimes it just gets way out of hand." She ruffled her light pink hair. "Anyway, you and Neji training again today?"

"Yes. I think he's practicing for a competition now," the brunette said plainly, "I should get going too. He isn't very happy when I'm late. I remember this one time when…"

It was the second week of August. School was just around the corner, but they all pushed that to the back of their minds. Sakura had spent most of the time hanging out with the girls; Hinata, Ino and Tenten that is. But she'd also spent some time with the others, only at the estate of course. She'd learned a bunch of new things. Like how Naruto could be funny, as well as loud. That Tenten was great at throwing objects, namely pencils, to maim people at school when they were bothering her. And also where the druggies hung out in town, and never to go to them unless you wanted to "turn into another Shikamaru," as was described by Ino, and another dispute followed.

However, through all of this, she'd gained a better virtue. That of being able to talk more easily in front of people. She didn't stutter or want to wither away and die when she was embarrassed. Now all she had to do was threaten to beat the crap out of them, and the discussion was settled.

She waved goodbye to Tenten and opened the iron gates to her abode. Maybe now was the time to call her friends. She could use something more to further brighten the mood.

* * *

The rest of the day went rather smoothly. She'd only managed to get a hold of Haku. She listen to his usual rants and raves, but it was still nice to hear from an old friend.

The next part of the day, didn't so smoothly. Here's how it worked. It started with her mother, asking her to cook a simple TV dinner, so that she could have it quickly, instead of running out to the store. Seemed pretty simple at the time; push a few buttons, leave it in the microwave and then presto! It's done. Well, no one **actually** reads the fine print on these boxes.

So how was she supposed to know you weren't supposed to hit the defrost button? You had to let it sit out for a few hours and then heat it. Well who knew that? Who ate TV dinners anymore anyway?

So to cut the story down, she'd left it for the time and wandered upstairs. It wasn't until she came back down 5 minutes later, to realize that there was smoke coming from the appliance. Not knowing exactly what to do, she rushed and threw a glass of water at it, forgetting it ran on electricity. Yes, it started to spark. In other words, she'd just killed her microwave. 'Just genius Sakura,' she'd congratulated herself before dragging herself to her room, where she was forced to stay for the rest of the day. That and she was banned microwave privileges for the next month.

So when morning came, it was a relief. She got dressed quickly, putting on a loose tank and black shorts. Her pink hair was tied in a messy bun, as she made her way downstairs and prepared to heat up her drink in the microwave. Only to realize that she'd been revoked of that convenience, not to mention it was broken beyond repair.

Oh well, it seemed she'd be having a cold drink today.

"Sakura!" called her mother from upstairs, "come up here, there's some stuff you need to put away!"

"Coming!" she called back and in one gulp had finished her glass. She put it in the sink, telling herself she'd wash them later.

"Put that box away will you? I think they're your old keepsakes. If you don't want them, throw it out," her mother had called from her room.

"Yes, yes," Sakura replied, taking it off the floor and dashing into her room. She didn't want to be late, after all. She was to meet at Ino's place. However, it was yet another clumsy moment on her part, when she slipped on a pencil in her room, and came crashing to the floor. It was a wonder why she wasn't dead yet.

The lid of the box came off, and it's contents scattered across her floor. "Oh my Lord. Will this day get any worse?" she mumbled furiously and picked up everything in a rush. She replaced the lid and shoved the box into a corner, telling herself she'd deal with it later.

In an exact time of one minute and three seconds, she had packed up her purse, fixed her hair and was ready to take an extremely long 20 minute walk to Ino's house in the middle of the town. It was actually on top of the flower shop the Yamanaka family owned.

'My sandals are still by the door…owch!' she'd stepped on something that was sticking out of the carpet. A pin of some sort. It must have fallen out of the box when it spilled. 'I'll put it away later,' she tossed it onto her dresser and then proceeded with her walk.

* * *

"You're looking more tiered than usual," the blond girl commented as she took a seat across from Sakura, who was currently half-sleeping on.

"Yes well, I didn't have breakfast this morning. I broke the microwave yesterday," she replied hungrily.

Ino laughed. "You silly child. There are plenty of things you can make without a microwave. Like eggs for example. They only need a stove."

"Knowing my luck, I'd burn down the house if I tried. I don't think I'll use any cooking appliance for awhile."

"Fine," Ino said standing up, "I'll make you some eggs. Then you have to be up and ready for action. Some people will be here shortly."

"Who?"

"Um, I'm not quite sure. I invited everyone. But who even bothers to show up are people who haven't anything better to do." With that, she disappeared around a corner into the kitchen.

Sakura let her head rest on the table a bit longer. This definitely was not how things were back home. Sure she'd gotten used to the same people everyday, but that same…feeling was still missing. Hopefully not for too long. What would she be doing now back home? Probably the 100 Ghost Story ceremonies. Those were always the best parts of summer; trying to see who you could scare shitless.

She actually wanted to propose the idea of a 100 Ghost Story evening, but maybe she'd wait until she knew everyone a bit better. She could imagine seeing Naruto exaggerating a story with a flashlight stuck right up to his chin, laughing evilly.

"What are you smiling at?" Ino questioned, as she set the scrambled eggs down in front of her friend.

"Oh nothing," Sakura took the fork and began to eat, putting tiny pieces in her mouth at a time, "tell you later."

* * *

"So where to?" Ino asked cheerfully, as Sakura, Rock Lee, Naruto and she stood at the base of the flower shop. Tenten had canceled at the last minute, saying she had to train with Neji. Hinata…actually, no one had heard from her. Shikamaru, well no one expected him to show up anyway. Finally Kiba, he said that some relatives were coming over and was being forced to see them through.

"I say Fire Country. It's been forever since I've last been there," suggested Lee, "I'll treat. Consider it as a welcome to the new girl." He gave a sincere smile.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Especially if I don't pay," Naruto instantly agreed.

"Okay, that's fine. I think Sasuke-kun is working there too today…um, Sakura?" Ino stopped and looked at the girl who had her back to the three of them.

She had stopped listening as soon as Lee had spoken two words. 'Fire' and 'Country' in the same sentence. This, was very bad.

_"Get out of my sight. Next time, I'll kill you."_

That meant **he** was going to be there. This had to be the worst option possible. Still, she should be safe around other people…right? As long as she didn't wander off somewhere and…

She jumped when a hand rested on her shoulder. "Sakura-chan, you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. A-are you sure you want to go there? I mean, um, isn't there another place you could show me…or…" she fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Oh come on! I bet you're just nervous because you-know-who will be there," Ino elbowed her friend before dragging her off.

'If you only knew,' she mentally sighed giving up. It was useless to try and talk her out of it.

It couldn't have been two minutes before they were sitting down at a table, again in the corner, of the ever-so-popular café. Sakura played with her hands uncontrollably.

"You're really pale, Sakura-san. Are you feeling ill?" asked Rock Lee, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Um, yes, a little bit. I should go home after," she said quietly. Why was this scaring her so much? Surely he hadn't been serious…right? I mean, someone was bound to find out if he did…end up _killing _her. She shivered.

"Well we haven't seen these faces in awhile," the unmistakable voice spoke. The pink haired girl froze, afraid to look up, for she knew who it was.

"Well we've had **other** things to do besides waste our lives away here," Naruto sneered.

The other chose to ignore that. "So, what'll it be?"

A chorus of "the usual" came from the three. Again, they were all waiting upon Sakura, who still was looking down at the table.

"N…" she was even scared to talk to him. That's what he wanted, right? "Nothing for me." It had come out in a whisper, but at least she'd said it.

Something was off. Sakura had seemed fine this morning. Now she was acting like a deer caught in the headlights. With those big round eyes of his, Lee looked from Sakura, to Sasuke. He showed an unreadable expression and nodded before leaving. Nothing unusual there. He seemed normal, even looking and waiting for Sakura. Lee rubbed his gelled hair, he certainly didn't know what to do.

"Do you ever give up?" asked Naruto to Ino, who stared longingly towards the front.

"No," she snapped and returned to her dreamy mood, "why should I? Got a problem with that?"

"No, not really," he held his hands up in defense, "I was just thinking…" he paused. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say, "No, never mind."

"Hmm?" Ino asked now mildly interested, "tell me, Naruto-kun. It isn't nothing."

"It's just…don't get mad at me and use those nails of yours because I swear if you scratch me again…" he watch her place them behind her back, so he knew she wouldn't pull them out and going for his face…again. "It's just, I think this one-sided Saskue thing has gone on too long. Sure I sound like I'm jealous about the bastard getting all the ladies but…" how to word this? He wasn't the best with this type of thing, "You know, there are other guys who'd like you a lot more if they knew you weren't so hung up over Sasuke."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "You mean like you?"

He smirked, "You wish."

Her eye twitched, "What was that? You saying I'm not good enough for you?" she placed her hands back on the table, ready for use at any time.

The blond male held his hands up in front of him, "Hey I said don't get me wrong! There are plenty of others…"

"You know, you actually sounded mature, for once," she gave him a signature smile.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I'm **always** mature!" he tried to contain his anger.

"Sure. I'll believe that when I see it…" she winked.

"Why you…" Naruto was cut off by the return of Sasuke, "do you mind? I'm in the middle of an argument here!"

"I'm not stopping you," he replied coolly, setting the orders down on the table, "you're the one who was so bothered by my appearance."

"Why you…" Naruto crossed his arms, not thinking of any reply.

"Don't mind him, Sasuke-kun. You're welcome here **anytime**, right guys?" Ino looked around the table. She started to wonder what was wrong with her female friend.

'God, I can't even look at him. That's what he wants, huh? I won't give him that satisfaction this time,' slowly, she tried to turn her head towards him. However, she was a tad too late, as he began to walk away. She never did look at his face today, but only managed to catch a glimpse of his upper body.

There was something strange on the shirt he was wearing. On the black sleeve, there was a symbol. She'd seen it somewhere before…

Sakura let out a sigh, she was safe. "Hey, Ino," she asked finally looking up.

"Yeah?"

"Does he…Sasuke-kun I mean, does he always wear a symbol on his sleeve? Like right here?" she motioned to her forearm.

"The Uchiha fan? I think so. It's his family's symbol. Ever since he was a kid he's always worn it somewhere. I think he used to wear a big one on his back, but now just the sleeve. Why do you ask?"

"Eh, no reason," she pushed back some loose strands of hair. It was bothering her, that Uchiha fan.

"Don't tell me she's fallen for Sasuke-bastard too?" Naruto grumbled.

"Sakura-san is different!" Lee defended her, in slightest hope he was right.

"Sure, no one can resist him," Ino stated in an a-matter-of-fact tone.

Sakura wished they'd all just shut up for one minute to let her think. Where had she seen it before?

_'My sandals are still by the door…owch!' she'd stepped on something that was sticking out of the carpet. A pin of some sort. It must have fallen out of the box when it spilled. 'I'll put it away later,' she tossed it onto her dresser and then proceeded with her walk._

'You can't be serious…' she thought with a sigh. "Sorry to skip out on you guys like this, but I just remembered to do something really important." She didn't look back before grabbing her purse and racing out the door. 'I bet that's not it, but something at home is. I know I've seen it!'

When she reached her house 13 minutes later, a new record for her, she immediately searched through the cluttered dresser. 'When I finally need something in this pile of crap I can't find it.' Then her fingertip pressed on a slightly pointed object. How many times was this thing going to poke her? At least she'd found what she was looking for.

Sure indeed, it was a gold, or gold painted pin. It wasn't that big, but sure enough, there was the unmistakable design of what Ino had called the Uchiha fan. Why did she have something like this? The pink haired girl undid her bun, and lay quietly on her bed. She closed her eyes, 'Someone tell me. Why?'

* * *

_"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, taking it from his hand and running around in little circles joyously. "It's so pretty and neat and shinny!" her grin was unusually large._

"_I thought you'd say that," he gave a relived grin as his dark eyes watched her dance around happily. "My brother says that we only give that to special people…"_

_The small girl wasn't listening. "Sorry, you say something?"_

_He sighed, he wasn't going to repeat that. "Take good care of it. I don't give those to a lot of people…"_

"_Kay!" she said in a high voice, and continued to giggle about shinny things. _

"_Sakura," he finally said in a more serious tone._

"_Hmm? What is it…-kun?"_

"…" _how was he going to say this? "well…no, sorry. It's nothing. Never mind"_

_She gave him a curious look. "Okay…"_

* * *

Sakura woke with a start. Another crazy little kid flashback. In the dream she hadn't heard the kid's name completely, but she knew. 'Why didn't I think of it before? They look exactly the same.' She stole a glance at the clock; it was 4:30. Maybe she'd still get down there before they closed. She knew this time, her fears wouldn't get the better of her, oh no.

She slipped the gold pin into her pocket, and set out once again. "Mom, I'm going out for awhile!"

* * *

"You seem rather distracted to me," the old shop owner commented, as the onyx-eyed employee sat down in the locker room. "Something happen?" he was carrying a tray full of three bowls of ramen.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" he replied rolling his shoulders. They'd been awfully stiff since practice.

"No reason. You've just been going in out of thought lately." With that he left to serve up the last of his customers before closing. On Sundays they closed early at five, while on weekends and Saturday, it was midnight. Not that Sasuke ever stayed that late.

He opened his locker and pulled out a helmet. Damn, he couldn't concentrate like this. There was a stupid competition in a few weeks and he was still here, working all day just so he could live in an apartment and didn't have to go living on the streets.

He had the urge to punch the locker. He'd done that before, and it had been deducted from his check, so the dark haired teen wasn't about to be going about doing that again. "I'm going," he told the boss's daughter Ayame. She nodded and gave a wave, which he didn't return.

He opened the side door to the café, where he usually entered. It was a sort of alleyway. Really, it was just an opening between the place and the shop right beside it. The sun was lowering in the sky, so most of the place was covered in shadow. Still, he'd felt another presence.

A figure stood leaning against the opposite building, hands loosely by their side.

He knew instantly who it was, "What do you want?" he wasn't expecting a reply, and he didn't get one either. "Have you come for an early death?"

She stood staring at the ground, still remaining silent.

"Think I was joking?" he slipped off his right shoe. Inside he pulled out a silver blade. She was about ten feet from him, but she could clearly make out its features. The handle was twisted to look like a snake, and halfway up she saw the head, bearing its two large, pointed fangs.

Slipping the shoe back on, he walked slowly to her. "Are you scared, _Sakura_?" his voice was no longer monotone, but threatening like their last meet.

"No."

Her response had startled him a little bit. No matter, she would be soon.

Sakura's façade remained neutral. She'd told a huge lie just then. No, it had been truthful. She wasn't scared; she was downright petrified. Even though it was a small blade, she bet he could do major damage with it. Why was she here in the first place again?

He gripped the snake part tightly in his hands, and thrust it into a wooden fence that she'd been leaning on. It landed with a thunk right beside her cheek. She didn't even flinch. "Tell me why you're here. Next time, it's your throat."

She didn't say anything again.

Was she asking for death? His scowl deepened, when he realized she wasn't going to give in. "Bitch. Do you **want** to **die**?" his hand stayed glued to the hilt.

It was now or never. "You know, ever since I came here, I've met a whole bunch of people. This place…it's really quite friendly," she started in a quiet voice, avoiding his gaze. Then she silenced again.

"Keep talking, or else," his face bent closer, "when I don't get my way, I tend to lose control of my actions. You want to live?"

Normally this was a voice when heard this close up, could send a shiver down any woman's spine. But this was a threat. No time for pleasure.

"Everyone seemed to welcome me with open arms. Well, almost everyone. Everyone but the person who's threatened to murder me when I happened to pass him by." She inhaled slowly, "Anyway, before I left, I used to live here. And…I had this friend, you see. He was really nice, good-looking too, well I think anyway…"

"Get on with it," he gritted his teeth impatiently.

She continued at the same pace, ignoring him, "Well, he and I were really good friends. When it was time to move away we…well made a promise to each other. And, I haven't heard from him since."

He waited before speaking again, "Is that all you have? You'd best think up something more."

She hadn't taken her eyes off the ground yet, "Since I came back, I've wondered something. Was he still living here? I didn't think so, judging by the faces I'd seen. And the stupid part is, I couldn't even remember his name. I was about ready to give up, no, I already had. But today something made me change my mind…" she rummaged through a pocket and pulled out the gold pin.

He stared at the object in her hand for a moment, "So?"

"It just struck me as odd, why I had something like this, and why you wore the exact same symbol on your shirt."

"My patience is running out, girl…"

She interrupted him, "So when I went home, I lay in my bed for a few hours. When I woke up, it was like…everything came back to me. And you know something," she paused, and continued in a whisper, "I was able to remember his name."

Some tension on his features disappeared. It was his turn to pause before answering. "And…what was his name?"

Emerald met onyx, "You interested?"

Then he used a word that she'd be hearing a lot of in the future, "Maybe."

"His name…was…" and finally, she seemed rid of her fear, "Uchiha…Sasuke."

She could hear the knife slide out of the wood, as he pulled away from her and to the opposite side. His back was facing her, and silence once again loomed in the air. He replaced the blade back into his shoe.

"You knew, didn't you?" it was more of a statement. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He ran his fingers slowly through his dark hair. "Well for one, how stupid can you be to forget a name like that?"

"What? Don't give me that crap! You're the one that…you know what, never mind," she'd already gotten out of one close shave with death, and she wasn't going to push him further.

"And besides," he continued, "that promise…well, it's rather non-existent anymore."

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "Is that all? You didn't say anything because of that? Seriously, that was my stupid child fantasy. I mean, who'd want to date a jerk like you anyway?"

He turned slowly, not really glaring, but she assumed that last comment had ticked him off a bit. "That was a joke, lighten up," she said more seriously. "There are girl's who'd die for you to look their way…from what I've heard. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is…" and she spoke in a quieter tone, "c-can't we just start over? Like, without the death threats? I want…to be your friend Sasuke-kun." And then in her head, 'Lord knows you need one.'

Not saying anything in response as he moved further into the alleyway, he came back some moments later with a motorcycle. "Need a ride home?"

Sakura smiled, as she took that as a yes. He handed her his helmet. "Um, what about you?"

He shrugged as she sat down behind him, "I only have one. It doesn't matter."

"But what happens if you crash into something and fly off and crack your skull open?"

He shrugged again, "Oh well." Obviously, he wasn't to scared about dying in an accident. "And another thing, I like to go fast. You've been on one of these before, right?"

"Of course," she lied. This would be an interesting experience. The loud noise of the engine startled her. Her slender arms wove around his torso, and she wondered if he'd notice that she was clinging on for dear-life.

The streets and people past by in a blur. Oh how those crazy-ass fan girls would envy her now. She prayed that no one realized it was her, as the loose ends of her pink hair flapped uncontrollably into the wind. Hey, a motorcycle may have been dangerous, but it sure was fun.

Maybe, things would work out between the two of them, someway or another.

* * *

**AN: **Oh! Faster update this time! This chapter really came a lot easier then the others. For those of you asking for SasSaku moments, there you have it…in a way. Haha, I'm so evil. The thing with the microwave…I was really just being stupid and decided to put it in there. As a result, a long chapter with 8 pages! Actually, next chapter is extremely long, or it will be! So just one more filler chapter and I can start with school! Yay! Oh, and the end of this chapter really was just I needed to end it, so yes. I wasn't sure how Sasuke would react to Sakura, but there you have it. Excuse his language towards her too! He'll be a good little boy from now on, promise! So to end my rant now, I'll say please review! Kay? 


	6. The 100 Ghost Story Afternoon

**Disclaimer: **Same as always. This time I have a few others, though. The stories in this chapter 3 of them are from a web site called: "Castle of Spirits" and the other is from the manga by CLAMP, XXXHOLiC. I worded the stories a bit differently but that's where the base came from.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The 100 Ghost Story Afternoon**

Things were quiet, as they always were around the house. Well, for the most part anyway. The funny thing was, it was only quiet to her, because the rest of the house, was far from that long silence she was trapped inside. Sure enough, loud yells and some other comic sound effects were constantly echoing throughout the estate, and it was highly unlikely that it was the cats' fault.

Why Neji had such noisy friends, was still a mystery. Another question was why was it always the same people? Did they even **live** at home anymore? Well, her cousin of course, was always there, taking up his usual space on the couch. Sitting next to him was always Tenten, trying to persuade him to get off his lazy ass and do something (but she dared not use those words, for that also described Shikamaru who wasn't always there). Then there was Rock Lee, but Neji and he had been friends…or rivals…since middle school. Then there was Kiba and Naruto…those two were in a noise class by themselves.

She sighed, it was always like this during the summertime. The worst part of the whole thing was, she was never included at all. Well that reason was probably because she didn't **want** to be included anyway. Shy, quiet, the complete opposite of most of the teens inside the lounge, Hinata was.

She'd left her spot outside the door some time ago. Now her legs dangled down from the swing in the hidden park. It was a great place to think, and be alone. Two things she did rather well. Usually she'd think about the same thing, day in and day out. Those stupid blue eyes, and that damned blond hair and that ever so annoying, yet irresistible voice. Yeah, she had it bad all right. What Ino liked to call the _love_ _bug_.

She shook the smiling face from her mind. It was a hopeless battle that she knew she'd lost ages ago. Hell, she'd probably go through life single, just because she couldn't open her mouth. And when she did, the sound was barely audible. Why would a loudmouth like Uzumaki Naruto want a girl with a personality that was practically opposite, like Hyuuga Hinata?

There was a rustling in the bushes. At first she thought it was Sakura, for she came also sometimes, but not as of lately. But what came forth was one of the last things she was expecting. It was a white dog with brown ears. She knew him all too well…

"Akamaru?" she called the tiny pup's name and it ran over to her with a bark. "Hey boy, what are you doing away from Kiba-kun? He gets mad when you run off…" her voice wasn't hesitant when she talked to non-human figures. Her hands reached out and picked up the small dog, and let him rest on her lap. She stroked his ears lightly and he relaxed.

"Akamaru!" a yell was rather faint, but it could have only been one person. At the calling of his name, the tiny dog lifted his head and barked. "Akamaru?" and then the bushes began to rustle again.

This time, it was a humanoid figure. "There you are!" Kiba sighed relieved that he wouldn't have to face the wrath of his mother if he told her that he'd lost his dog again. "Hinata? Why are you here?" he walked across the empty plain and sat down on the next swing.

"Um…h-hello Kiba-kun," she voice went back to quiet and shaky. "H-he just ran up to me and…here," she held the dog out to his master.

"Nah, I was just makin' sure he was okay," he smiled and took him from her, and lay him atop his head. "Anyway, whatcha doin' all the way out here alone? You didn't wanna join us back at your place?"

Her silver eyes scanned the ground as she shook her head.

"How come?"

She shrugged. She'd known Kiba for a long time, well before any of her girl friends. He'd always stuck beside her, in a way.

"You're one strange kid, Hinata," Kiba scratched the back of his neck, "I still don't quite get you. Even after all this time. Do you wanna…talk about something?"

She smiled at the ground, "No, r-really it's okay. You don't have to worry about me so much."

He was also looking at the dirt, with one hand holding his dog so he wouldn't fall. "That's the thing. I **want** to worry about you. That's what a friend does, right?"

She covered her glowing cheeks, "I-I guess. T-thank you, K-Kiba-kun."

He flashed her a toothy grin, "Don't mention it because I'm raiding your fridge when we get back."

Hinata giggled, and took his extended hand as she rose to her feet. Maybe if she summed up some courage one day, she could talk to him about her problems. It was a lot easier with Kiba then Neji, or even Ino, Tenten and Sakura.

To Akamaru, it was a cute sight. Well, a dog didn't exactly have too much opinion on a boy and girl walking home hand-in-hand.

* * *

"100 ghost story night?" four voices chorused at the same time. Their eyes were upon the pink haired teen, who'd brought the previous topic to the table. 

"Yeah! Don't tell me you haven't heard of that! And you guys **live** in this country? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves," she shook her head sarcastically.

"Well excuse me for not knowing culture," Naruto huffed, folding his arms.

The five were sitting at the usual corner table at Fire Country.

"Now that you mention it, I remember something about that in the newspaper once. Isn't it like the North American Halloween except in the summer here?" Ino was proud that she remembered so much.

"Like when you dress up in silly costumes and go around to people's houses collecting candy and stuff?" Rock Lee asked sitting straight up in his chair.

"Yeah! But this version is different! Basically it's a group of people…well nowadays it's seeing who can scare everyone the most," Sakura replied cheerfully. "We did it every year back home; it was like a tradition." She noticed all eyes upon here once again, like she was some sort of strange animal, "sorry. I was just so caught up in the…never mind. I just thought it was…an interesting idea." Her sentence was finished quietly.

The table was quiet for a moment, then Naruto was the one to break the silence. "I think it's a great idea, Sakura-chan!"

"Y-yes, it sounds quite interesting," Hinata agreed.

"Alright then it's settled! A 100 ghost story night at the Hyuuga estate!" Ino clapped her hands together.

"W-why my place?"

"Let's see…it's the biggest…and um…yeah it's the biggest," Ino couldn't think of another reason, so left it at that.

"B-but my father d-doesn't like guests after dark…"

"Ha! Are you kidding! Ghost stories at night? You have to be out of your tree to do that…" Ino's gaze brightened as she saw her favorite person walk towards the table.

"Yo," he greeted in his usual voice, "the usual all around I'm guessing?"

He was about to turn away after the chant of "yes" was heard, but an annoying pink haired pest tugged on his sleeve. "Neh, Sasuke-kun! You'll be there too right? I was told you guys do stuff together sometimes too!"

"What are you talking about? Let go of me," and he wriggled free from her grasp, then left.

She stuck out her tongue to his back. "How do you get him into doing stuff together anyway?"

"Play his ego," he blonde female friend winked, "works all the time."

"Neh, neh, Sakura-chan! How does the ceremony work?" asked a rather excited Naruto.

"Simple, you sit in a circle and tell stories."

"Wha? That's it?"

"No one uses the traditional methods anymore. So yes, that's it. It's just for fun…you'll see. So you guys are all coming right?"

"You bet!" Lee gave a thumbs up.

Naruto and Ino both nodded and Hinata answered with a, "I don't exactly have a choice. It **is** at my place…nii-san won't like this idea too much…"

"You worry too much, Hinata!" Naruto told her, "Tenten will convince him. Either that or I'll pound him until he sits there motionless!"

'Sure, right,' played through most of their minds.

The dark haired tenant made his way back, carrying a tray of shakes and placing it in the center of the table. The wheels in Sakura's head began to spin.

"Neh, Sasuke-kun, won't you join us for the ghost story night this weekend? It'll be fun," Sakura tried her innocent tone again, which was probably annoying him a lot at this point.

"Why would I want to do stuff with **you**?" he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

She sighed, "I guess what they say is true…" all ears perked up, "underneath that cool façade of yours, you really **are** scared of petty things like stories. What a shame…" she shook her head in pretend disappointment.

Some of them suppressed a giggle as his closed right eye twitched slightly. Oh, this would not end well. "What did you say?" he asked dangerously going up right into her face.

"You heard me. Or perhaps I need to say to louder. **Sasuke-kun, underneath that…**" maybe she should become an actress.

"Fine. I'll be there," and he instantly regretted what he'd committed to. "We'll see who's **scared** after, won't we?" and this time he really stalked off.

"Hook, line and sinker," her pink hair fell into her eyes and she quickly brushed them away.

* * *

More people turned up than she'd expected. Actually, everyone she knew so far was there. They'd all met in the front yard, where Neji said they could use the old martial arts dojo as their 'sanctuary'. How the news had gotten around, she'd no idea. 

It was a Saturday afternoon, and everyone seemed chattier than usual. Maybe it was because in a few days, school would be starting, and it was their senior year.

They all at their own pace entered the dojo, opening the shoji paper door, to allow some air though. "Man, after all these years I still don't know what's here," Tenten said taking a seat on the wooden floor, and brushing non-existent dust off her shirt.

They slowly formed a circle, all wondering what to do next. "Um, okay. Basically we just take turns telling scary stories. I'd say two rounds for each person, since it's a rather large group. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Kiba was lying on his front, "is all this really necessary, I mean like sitting inside here?"

"Well it creates a larger impact in an enclosed area. But really, in a real ceremony that we tried one time, we actually told 100 stories, and dressed in yukatas and stuff. With scented candles, the bowl of water, the knife…" she looked at the rather blank expression on everyone's face that could easily be read as 'can-we-please-get-on-with-this?', "long story, not particularly interesting. Now, since we're already in a circle, Ino will start and go clockwise."

Shikamaru stared up at the ceiling, 'Does that mean I'm second? How troublesome…if Ino hadn't dragged me along I never would have come…'

"Oh and by the way," Tenten added, "new rule. First person to scream or jump in fear, everyone gets to call them the scardiecat of us all…for the whole school year. So don't let your guard down…it'll be the end of your pride."

* * *

Even with 10 people, everyone seemed to be enjoying it somewhat. There'd been some great stories…some made up, others urban legends. Time had flown quite quickly, so it was the second round, and only 4 people remained. Tenten, Rock Lee, Sasuke and Sakura. 

"Alright, **this** story is called 'The Hand'. A babysitter told it to me once a long time ago. This is how it went:

"There was once a painter. He was getting old and he didn't have a lot of money. There was an art exhibit coming to town, and it wouldn't only make him famous, but rich as well.

"The artist was stewing because he tried painting but no matter how hard he tried he knew his paintings weren't good enough. He began thinking about how he could win the prize when all of a sudden the most terrifying figure appeared. It was a shrivelled old man with no hands and no eyes. Empty sockets. It began to speak. "I know how desperately you want to do well at that exhibit. I can guarantee you win on the condition you give me your right hand". The painter knew the presence was evil, but at this point was so desperate he agreed.

"The next day he showed up at the exhibit to see the most spectacular painting he had ever seen and sure enough it was signed in his name. So he took home his prize. That night the presence appeared and with one swift swing of a very large knife the artist's hand was gone."

She paused trying to remember the rest, while some of the others tried to imagine what knife could cut off a hand in one swing. "Anyway, sometime later the artist was enjoying his fame and fortune, he had made up a story about his hand and he had basically forgotten about the deal he'd made until one faithful night.

"He was sleeping when he awakened by a loud tap, tap, tap on his window. He woke up to see the hand. It was begging to be let in. Ignoring it he went back to sleep. Again later tap, tap, tap. Again, it wanted in. The artist ignored it again, but was getting nervous. A while later this happened again. This time the artist screamed "LEAVE ME ALONE!"" she chuckled because everyone jumped at the sudden change in her voice. "The rest of the night he slept peacefully and the next morning he thought he'd been dreaming.

"Well the next night he was again in a peaceful sleep when he heard a loud crash downstairs. Waking with a start he headed downstairs to investigate. He was rushing down and the last thing he felt was a hand gripping his leg.

"He was found two months later. Neighbors had been complaining of a bad smell. The cause of his death, a broken neck, a nasty fall down the stairs." She shrugged, "the end."

"Hey, don't scream next time," Neji told her, as he rubbed his ear, "it's louder than you think."

"Hey but it made you all jump, didn't it?" At this, no one replied. "Whatever, Lee, you go."

"After hearing those other stories mine doesn't seem as scary anymore…oh well. This one I read in a book recently. It's called 'The Hotel Room'. There once was an old house. It had been bought by a contractor, and since it was so big, it was going to be turned into a hotel.

"At first, business was great. The rooms were always filled, and they were booked for months. One night, a guest complained that he kept hearing weird noises from the other side of the wall. The manager had told him it was probably his imagination, and the problem was solved.

"However, the next few nights, the guests complained there were always noises coming from one end of the hall. So the manager came upstairs, and assured all the guests it was fine. One of the guests had asked what was behind the concrete wall, insisting that the noise was coming from behind there. The manager had told them that when the hotel was bought, the concrete block was always there.

"However, taking a closer look from the outside if the hotel, there was an extra window, so at one point there had been a room up there. After several more complaints, the manager had someone come in, and break down the wall.

"Just as they'd expected, there was a single room behind it. The door was closed, but it had no doorknob, and was bolted shut with many locks. They had them break down the door. They were all shocked by their discovery.

"There written all over the walls in big red letters were 5 words: Father, please let me out!" Lee scratched his head, "See, I told you it wasn't as good…"

"Don't worry! It was fine," assured Tenten.

"Really? Are you sure? I am honored you think so!" he grinned showing his sparkling teeth. One much have wondered how many hours a day he spent brushing them…

"Don't be…" she replied softly so he couldn't hear her.

"Are you two done? Let's get this over with," the usual silent Sasuke spoke, as it was his turn. And if it wasn't for that stupid girl sitting next to him, he wouldn't even be here in the first place. All eyes were upon him. He inwardly sighed, best get it over with. "This is an urban legend called the Monkey's Paw. The actual story takes a really long time to retell so I'll keep it short as I can.

"There once was a family who lived way on the outskirts of an old village in England. They barely made enough to support the family, so the son couldn't go to college, and had to work at the local mill instead. They were expecting a visitor that day…

"He was Sargent-Major Morris. The family hospitably took him in, and sat around the fireplace in the den, over a bottle or two of wine. The Sargent-major had opened up over the next two or three glasses, and began to retell his adventures in the war, plagues, and odd places he'd visited.

"I'd like to go to India myself one day," said the old man, "just to look round a bit, you know?"

"Better where you are," said the sergeant-major, shaking his head.

"I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers," said the old man. "What was that you started telling me the other day about a monkey's paw or something, Morris?"

"Nothing," said the soldier. "Leastways nothing worth hearing."

"Monkey's paw?" asked the old man curiously.

"Well, it's just a bit of what you might call magic, perhaps," said the sergeant-major, off-handedly.

His three listeners leaned forward eagerly. The visitor absent-mindedly put his empty glass to his lips and then set it down again. His host filled it for him. "To look at," said the sergeant-major, fumbling in his pocket, "it's just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy."

He took something out of his pocket and proffered it. The old lady drew back with a grimace, but her son, taking it, examined it curiously.

"And what is there special about it?" inquired the old man as he took it from his son, and having examined it, placed it upon the table.

"It had a spell put on it by an old fakir," said the sergeant- major, "a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it."

He paused, trying to remember the rest. Sakura seemed surprised, he was a fairly decent storyteller.

"Well, why don't you have three, sir?" said the old man cleverly.

"The soldier looked at him strangely. "I have," he said, quietly, and his blotchy face whitened.

"And did you really have the three wishes granted?" asked the wife.

"I did," said the sergeant-major, and his glass tapped against his teeth.

"And has anybody else wished?" inquired the old lady.

"The first man had his three wishes, yes," was the reply. "I don't know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That's how I got the paw."

"A hush fell upon the group. If one had three wishes, death wasn't exactly a common thing to wish for.

"And…have you made your three wishes?" the old man asked at last.

"I have," the soldier said gravely. Then he pitched it into the fire.

The old man stooped down and pulled it out, with a small cry of pain as the fire burned his hand. "Why throw it away? If you have no use I'll take it."

"I wouldn't suggest it. Be sensible and throw it back into the fire."

"How do you wish upon it?" asked the man stubbornly.

"Hold it in your right hand and wish aloud…but I warn you of the consequences."

"Sounds like Arabian Nights…" the wife smiled. The family of three laughed.

"Be sensible what you wish for, by God."

"We can be rich, famous and living like emperors if what you say is true," the son commented, "wish for something Pa."

"Sensible?" he thought about it, "come to think of it, this place could use some fixing up. 200 pounds should do it, yes. I wish for 200 pounds." They all waited. Nothing happened.

"I don't see the money…" the son commented, "and probably never will." But the three of them wouldn't notice the look of alarm on the soldier's face. It would only turn out grimly.

"The next few days went by normally, and still no money. It was all just a hoax after all. The old man had kept the paw still in his bedroom, just as something to look at. "I'm off," said the son, as he rose from the table and set off to work.

"Always such a busy man," the wife had spoken to her husband a few hours later, then paused to look out the window.

"Yes," he agreed, then noticed his wife's troubled look, "what is it?"

"His wife made no reply. She was watching the mysterious movements of a man outside, who, peering in an undecided fashion at the house, appeared to be trying to make up his mind to enter. In mental connection with the two hundred pounds, she noticed that the stranger was well dressed and wore a silk hat of glossy newness. Three times he paused at the gate, and then walked on again. The fourth time he stood with his hand upon it, and then with sudden resolution flung it open and walked up the path. The wife at the same moment placed her hands behind her, and hurriedly unfastening the strings of her apron, put that useful article of apparel beneath the cushion of her chair. She brought the man into the room.

"I -- was asked to call," he said at last, and stooped and picked a piece of cotton from his trousers. "I come from 'Maw and Meggins.'"

"The old lady started. "Is anything the matter?" she asked, breathlessly. "Has anything happened to our son? What is it? What is it?"

"Her husband interposed. "There, there, mother," he said, hastily. "Sit down, and don't jump to conclusions. You've not brought bad news, I'm sure, sir," and he eyed the other wistfully.

"I'm sorry -- " began the visitor.

"Is he hurt?" demanded the mother.

"The visitor bowed in assent. "Badly hurt," he said, quietly, "but he is not in any pain."

"Oh, thank God!" said the old woman, clasping her hands. "Thank God for that! Thank -- "

"She broke off suddenly as the sinister meaning of the assurance dawned upon her and she saw the awful confirmation of her fears in the other's averted face. She caught her breath, and turning to her slower-witted husband, laid her trembling old hand upon his. There was a long silence.

"He was caught in the machinery," said the visitor at length in a low voice. "The firm wished me to convey their sincere sympathy with you in your great loss," he said, without looking round. "I beg that you will understand I am only their servant and merely obeying orders. I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility," continued the other. "They admit no liability at all, but in consideration of your son's service they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation."

"The old man dropped his wife's hand, and rising to his feet, gazed with a look of horror at his visitor. His dry lips shaped the words, "How much?"

"Two hundred pounds," was the answer."

Sasuke paused again. He'd just **had** to chose a lengthy story.

"It was but a week later, when the wife woke with a start.

"The monkey's paw!" she cried, wildly. "The monkey's paw!"

"He started up in alarm. "Where? Where is it? What's the matter?"

"She came stumbling across the room towards him. "I want it," she said, quietly. "You've not destroyed it?"

"No, it's upstairs in the room, why?"

"I only just thought of it," she said, hysterically. "Why didn't I think of it before? Why didn't you think of it?"

"Think of what?" he questioned.

"The other two wishes," she replied, rapidly. "We've only had one."

"Was not that enough?" he demanded, fiercely.

"No," she cried, triumphantly; "we'll have one more. Go down and get it quickly, and wish our boy alive again."

"The man sat up in bed and flung the bedclothes from his quaking limbs. "Good God, you are mad!" he cried.

"Get it," she panted; "get it quickly, and wish!"

"Her husband struck a match and lit the candle. "Get back to bed," he said, unsteadily. "You don't know what you are saying."

"We had the first wish granted," said the old woman, feverishly; "why not the second?"

"A coincidence," stammered the old man.

"Go and get it and wish," cried the old woman, and dragged him towards the door.

"He went down in the darkness, and felt his way to the parlor, and then to the mantel-piece. The talisman was in its place, and a horrible fear that the unspoken wish might bring his mutilated son before him ere he could escape from the room seized upon him, and he caught his breath as he found that he had lost the direction of the door. His brow cold with sweat, he felt his way round the table, and groped along the wall until he found himself in the small passage with the unwholesome thing in his hand.

"Even his wife's face seemed changed as he entered the room. It was white and expectant, and to his fears seemed to have an unnatural look upon it. He was afraid of her.

"Wish!" she commanded.

"It is foolish and wicked," he faltered.

"Wish!" repeated his wife.

"He raised his hand. "I wish my son alive again."

"The talisman fell to the floor, and he regarded it shudderingly. Then he sank trembling into a chair as the old woman, with burning eyes, walked to the window and raised the blind.

"He sat until he was chilled with the cold, glancing occasionally at the figure of the old woman peering through the window. The candle end, which had burnt below the rim of the china candlestick, was throwing pulsating shadows on the ceiling and walls, until, with a flicker larger than the rest, it expired. The old man, with an unspeakable sense of relief at the failure of the talisman, crept back to his bed, and a minute or two afterwards the old woman came silently and apathetically beside him.

"Neither spoke, but both lay silently listening to the ticking of the clock. A stair creaked, and a squeaky mouse scurried noisily through the wall. The darkness was oppressive, and after lying for some time screwing up his courage, the husband took the box of matches, and striking one, went down stairs for a candle.

"At the foot of the stairs the match went out, and he paused to strike another, and at the same moment a knock, so quiet and stealthy as to be scarcely audible, sounded on the front door.

"The matches fell from his hand. He stood motionless, his breath suspended until the knock was repeated. Then he turned and fled swiftly back to his room, and closed the door behind him. A third knock sounded through the house.

" What's that?" cried the old woman, starting up.

"A rat," said the old man in shaking tones -- "a rat. It passed me on the stairs."

"His wife sat up in bed listening. A loud knock resounded through the house.

"It's him!" she screamed. "It's our son!"

"She ran to the door, but her husband was before her, and catching her by the arm, held her tightly.

"What are you going to do?" he whispered hoarsely.

"It's my son!" she cried, struggling mechanically. "I forgot it was two miles away. What are you holding me for? Let go. I must open the door."

"For God's sake don't let it in," cried the old man, trembling.

"You're afraid of your own son," she cried, struggling. "Let me go."

"There was another knock, and another. The old woman with a sudden wrench broke free and ran from the room. Her husband followed to the landing, and called after her appealingly as she hurried down stairs. He heard the chain rattle back and the bottom bolt drawn slowly and stiffly from the socket. Then the old woman's voice, strained and panting.

"The bolt," she cried loudly. "Come down. I can't reach it."

"But her husband was on his hands and knees on the floor in search of the paw. If he could only find it before the thing outside got in. A perfect fusillade of knocks reverberated through the house, and he heard the scraping of a chair as his wife put it down in the passage against the door. He heard the creaking of the bolt as it came slowly back, and at the same moment he found the monkey's paw, and frantically breathed his third and last wish.

"The knocking ceased suddenly, although the echoes of it were still in the house. He heard the chair drawn back and the door opened. A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road."

Sasuke was thankful that the story had ended. "What happens next is for you to decide. Now, that being said," he reached into his pocket, "which one of you chicken-shits are brave enough to wish on it?"

He held out a mummified paw. How he had something like that, was anyone's guess. He threw it into the center of the circle and observed the controversial expressions of most people.

It was Neji who finally reached slowly to pick up the cursed item. Everyone else still seemed to think it was rather…possessed? "I wish this stupid thing burn in hell," and tossed it back to its owner. His comment seemed to lighten the mood, considering the gates of hell hadn't appeared before them and swallowed up the paw. It was most certainly a fake.

"Okay guys! Just one more story! I'll keep it short, since that last one took up awhile. This one was told to me during another ceremony last year. It's called, Till Death Do We Part.

"A newly married couple, let's just call them Billy and Mable, had bought a house in the US. They disregarded the stories told to them about the house by the realtor about the house being haunted by an insane serial killer and moved in. Mable frequently complained about the feeling that someone was touching her in the night, and Billy resolved to stay up the whole night and see who was doing it.

"True to his word, Billy stayed up the whole night. He just didn't stay in the room. Around midnight, he was gripped by the feeling of an overwhelming thirst. He went downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Before he could get a glass, he heard the most horrible screaming from Mable's room. Billy rushed upstairs and screamed himself. Mable's mutilated corpse was strewn in various places around the bed. Billy rushed downstairs and called the police.

"Several nights later, Billy was sleeping peacefully. Until around midnight. Again feeling very thirsty, he went downstairs and got a glass of water. He went upstairs and saw a lump in the bed. He ripped off the covers and the ghost of Mable floated up. She had an unholy light in her eyes, and the dark form of another man floated beside her. Mable held the biggest knife Billy had ever seen in her hand.

"Didn't you promise, Billy? Didn't you promise? 'Till death do we part? Didn't you promise?" Mable said as she floated towards the paralyzed Billy.

"The house being far out into the country side, no one could hear Billy's horrified and pain-filled screams. The end," and she smiled, " now when my friend did it, it was a lot scarier, considering she likes the use of, um, graphics, so to speak."

"So what happens now?" asked Naruto, getting up from his position on the floor.

"We go home," the pink haired girl replied cheerfully.

They all had slowly milled out of the dojo and breathed some fresh air rather then the stuffiness inside. Most of them were talking amongst each other now, minus a few people. "Oh, Neji-kun!" Sakura ran up to him before the Hyuuga could walk away back towards the main house, " I just wanted to thank you for letting us use this place. I really appreciate it." She gave him a friendly smile.

"Sure," but something forced him so say a little bit more, "it was nothing…"

She giggled, and he didn't quite understand what was so funny. "You're family is really soft-spoken," she commented rather bluntly, "you should open up a bit more, you know? Anyway, I guess I'll see you at school next week!" With that, she ran off.

What a strange girl…

Most of them were still milling around the grounds, but Sakura notice her onyx-eyed friend about to leave. "Neh, Sasuke-kun. Wait for me, I don't want to walk home alone." And she ran up to join him.

"What? You guys are going home together?" Ino cried in disbelief.

"Don't get the wrong idea," her friend laughed, "we just live in the same direction."

"Oh, okay then." The blonde watched the two leave. "Even if they aren't exactly going home together, she still gets to walk with him…all I have is lazy-ass Shika and loudmouth Naruto."

"Is there a problem with me?" Naruto crossed his arms, as she'd hit a sore spot.

"Whatever," she shrugged it off, "let's just get going."

Sakura shivered as a cool breeze blew by. "Man, now I won't be able to sleep until next weekend…" she commented to herself.

"You were the one who organized the stupid thing," Sasuke replied plainly. "You shouldn't be afraid of things like that."

"I wasn't! It's just that after you start to have second thoughts about things. Like now I'm going to think a hand will come to my widow and strangle me…or something."

"Your logic makes no sense."

"It isn't supposed to really."

The two drifted off into silence again. The male liked it, however on the contrary, the female despised it. "So anyway, Sasuke-kun, are you going to walk me to school come the first day?"

That was something he didn't have to think about. "No."

"Aww! Come one! I don't know where I'm going to get there! Just the first day?"

"No. It's called a map. Get one. They're really useful."

"You're such a sadist."

At this he didn't say anything.

"Do you still have the Monkey's Paw?"

"Yeah," he lifted it out of his pocket, "why?"

"Because I want to make a wish, obviously. Not that it'll work." She snatched it out of his hand. "I wish a bucket of water would fall on top of your head. That's punishment for you!"

"Right…" he looked up at the sky. He felt a drop hit his cheek.

They'd reached Sakura's house. This time, she felt it too. "Don't tell me it's…" and then it didn't just rain. It poured. In a matter of seconds they were both drenched to the core. Her emerald eyes just gazed at the mummified paw.

"Be careful what you wish for, okay?" he let out a small sigh and took it back. Then he waltzed slowly down the road, not caring how much wetter he got.

When Sakura entered the warmth of her abode, it was her turn to let out a sigh…that and wring out her hair.

"Sasuke-kun, you're such a sadist."

* * *

**AN: **All I can say is that this chapter was **painful** to write. Don't expect another chapter this long…ever! You notice Sasuke has the most lines? The Monkey's Paw really is a huge story. Anyway, I don't really know what prompted me to write this chapter, but either way I needed something before school starts (which is next chapter by the way). And as a side note, the beginning with Hinata and Kiba…see right now it's a sort of love triangle. Not really sure who to pair her with, since both would be fine. What do you think? 

Just as another side note, I wanted to say **big thanks** to all the reviewers! You guys totally made my day! Now for some random responses since I don't really remember who said what (heh heh). About their past, more will happen later with that. Scenes focusing on other pairings? You guys will just have to wait a bit longer for those -laughs- And the Sand Siblings…they **do** appear, but later (and I mean waaaaaaay later. They're at different schools don't forget, but they are in multiple flashbacks later on). And finally, with the whole SasuSaku moments, I'm taking it sorta slow, considering they **just **got on good terms with each other. I hope you can be somewhat patient with me…-cowers in fear-.

And lastly, I'll try to update sometime before the beginning of July, since I'm going on vacation and won't be at the computer for 2 weeks…so now even a short review would be nice! Thanks, -hugs all-.


	7. Just One Defective School

**Disclaimer: **The usual, own nothing but the plot…

* * *

**Chapter 7: Homeroom Teacher and Just One Defective School**

There was a soft ringing in her ears. It was so soft it was almost a buzz. But then it started to get louder, and louder. It was becoming ridiculously loud now. Damn, when she got a hold of that infernal alarm clock…

Subconsciously she reached out her pale hand blindly from the warmth of the sheets and fumbled around her nightstand. However instead of shutting it off, it was just knocked clean off the table. Zero coordination on her part.

"Eww…school…" she mumbled half asleep, and picked up the fallen clock that was still ringing. "I get it, I get it…you confounded…" and turned it off.

She dragged herself into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Would she be doing this for 10 months of the year again? Sighing, she continued with her daily routine. Except for the fact that today and the rest of the school year, she would be wearing a uniform. The shirt was navy, with the typical sailor-style collar. The skirt was folded, and of similar color. It went to about her mid-thigh. Since it was still warm out, the girls' would wear knee socks. These were white.

By the time she was dressed and ready to go, there was still a good two hours before school would start. Great. Well, at least that left time to become lost…and hopefully found again. The sun wasn't up yet. Well, it could have been, but it happened to be quite gray outside, with slight traces of fog. Without so much as a goodbye to her still sleeping parents, she slipped outside and out the gates.

She heard the metal clank behind her. Her pink hair was tied in a tight bun leaving no strand loose. She gazed her surroundings. 'I guess Sasuke-kun didn't come for me after all…' and her expression darkened, "Bastard." She shook her fist in the air for a moment, before realizing how stupid it must have looked. Not that anyone was around to comment.

Sakura walked slowly down the road, with kicking a stone as her sole form of entertainment. She passed the Hyuuga estate after awhile. The house looked farther away than usual. When things got gloomy here, they really **did** get gloomy.

"You're up rather early," said a voice from nowhere, making the spaced-out one jump. There standing along the inside of the gates was Hyuuga Neji.

"Please…don't do that," her voice was rather low, because she'd lost it for a second.

"Do what? I was just standing right here…" he said rather flatly. He opened the gates and stepped outside. He was wearing the boys' version of the school uniform. Black pants with a matching jacket. The blouse underneath was white. He had his school bag slung over one shoulder.

Sakura had to admit, it did suit him better then others. "You coming or what? I don't expect you know the way to school…" he said as if reading her mind. Her emerald eyes stood watching the back of his dark head for a moment, then ran as fast as she could with a skirt to catch up.

"You don't walk with Hinata?" she asked after awhile. He was like Sasuke. Another guy who wouldn't spark up a conversation even if you paid him.

"She and I don't usually spend quality time together." Suddenly Sakura felt rather bad for asking. "And I'm an early riser. She sleeps in," he continued, seeing her uneasiness. It made him uncomfortable…for some reason. They went into an elapsed silence again.

"Okay…" she answered softly. The road was longer then she expected it. She finally noticed that the road forked. One probably was the road to get to the town, and the other…

"It's down here."

If it wasn't for the fog, one could probably make out a building in the distance. "Wha? So far…" she said aloud accidentally.

A small smile was tugging at his lips, but he barely showed it. "Women today are so out of shape, despite how slim they are," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Humph. They are not. **I** am perfectly fit. I just don't like to show it," she replied somewhat offended. But she was happy; at least he was warming up to her. They hadn't spoken much when other people were around. "Uh, Neji-kun, where are you going? The road goes that way."

"It's a route I take when I'm early sometimes," he said, walking through an opening in the trees. He could hear her soft footsteps follow reluctantly.

Sakura looked around as they walked through the narrow path. The trees were of all sorts, and the grass grew long in some places. There was also the sound of running water. "Is there a river here?" Her question was answered by a bridge that was not too far away. It stood over a small river that flowed slowly. "It's so pretty," she inhaled. Somehow the air seemed fresher out here.

"I guess you could call it that…" he said leaning against the railing, looking out onto the water's path.

Sakura just watched him for awhile. He seemed to be such a beautiful person. If only he'd talk more in public, she was sure he could rival that idiot who refused to take her to school that morning. Somehow, she was rather glad for that.

"Something wrong?" he asked when he noticed her staring.

"Um…no not r-really…" she was taken off guard, and some color rose to her cheeks, "we…I mean, yeah…we should be going…"

He looked at her quizzically through his silver eyes momentarily and shrugged it off. The rest of the path after the bridge was much like before it. Until they'd reached another opening in the trees, and before them, stood a three-story building.

She observed it in silence, as both went through one of the many front doors. "There's still some time before school starts. You have your schedule right?" he finally said in the front foyer. She nodded quickly. "Good, then I suggest you start finding your class." With that he took off up the nearby flight of stairs.

Sakura didn't have time to stop him, and just gazed around blankly. There were several students milling around, not paying any attention to her. She read over the schedule.

There were 4 periods everyday. Period A was language, as well as her homeroom teacher. Period B was Calculus. Period C was a spare and period D was gym. Best to start at homeroom today…that was room 328. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she ventured up the same stairs Neji had.

Once she'd reached the floor and wandered around, she'd found it was more confusing inside than out. It turns out that there were two whole in the middle of the building called 'light courts', that made some hallways go in a circle. As if a new, big school wasn't confusing as it already was.

"Sakura-chan!" cried a voice from down the hall, snapping her out of thought.

"Ah, Naruto…" she gave a smile. He had on the same uniform as Neji, but his jacket was unbuttoned all the way, so you could see his white shirt underneath. There was also a navy tie. "Are you always early?"

"Nah, it's just that today's the first day! And first impressions are key in getting a good mark in class. I just hope that my new homeroom teacher doesn't hate me like last year! Oh yeah! What class do you have?"

"Um, whatever's in 328."

"REALLY? Wow, that's my homeroom too! We can look for it together!" and before Sakura could protest, Naruto was dragging her down the hall. "Here's 320, 321, 322…" he numbered the rooms down the hallway. "327, 340, 339…wait a second! Did I miss the class?"

"No…" she said looking back, "this school is confusing…"

"That, or you both are complete idiots," said a new voice behind them.

The couple turned around to face the Uchiha boy leaning against the doorframe on the opposite end of the hall labeled 328. His jacket was unzipped and the top couple of buttons left undone on the blouse. His tie was slung over his neck not tied what-so-ever.

"Ah! Sasuke! You're in Sakura-chan and **my** class too?" the blond said in an overly-loud voice.

"Of course not. I'm just standing here 'cause I want to be." Naruto seemed to have believed him, judging by his disbelieving face.

"He was kidding, dim-bulb!" Sakura finished the other's thought. "Why would anyone be here if they wanted to be. And **you**!" she jabbed Sasuke in the chest, "you weren't there this morning."

"If I said I wasn't then what made you think I was going to change my mind?"

"Maybe you would realize your rudeness and help a damsel in distress?"

"Sure…if you're here alive then that's all that matter's right?

"That isn't the point! The point is that…" and then she noticed she was making a small scene, yelling at **the** Uchiha Sasuke. Supposedly unofficially nominated the most popular guy in school and bachelor up for grabs. "You know what? This is stupid. Get inside the class," she commanded.

"Ladies first."

"Thank you Sir Knight," she said dryly, but accepted his invitation anyway. At least he was being somewhat of a gentleman.

Naruto followed her in and warned her, "You'd better move out of the way…"

"Why?" but she could see why, as a crowd of however was already seated in the homeroom swarm the door.

"Neh, Sasuke-kun! Where were you all summer?" and some "ah! You're in this class too?" or the "You're still free right? How about we hook up…as friends for a night?" and so forth. There were about 7 of them.

All the attention was making Naruto quite queasy. "Alright, alright, step aside ladies," had dragged Sasuke from the 'sea', "Prince Charming needs to sit down."

Sakura was quite amused by the whole scene. It was Naruto practically dragging his friend from the fans, who were still clinging. He'd taken a window seat, Naruto beside him, arms crossed, at his lack of attention. She managed to squeeze in a spot amongst the crowd, leaning against Naruto's desk. "Well I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it. Uchiha-kun really **is** popular. Who'da thought?"

"What gives you the right to talk to Sasuke-kun so plainly?" a girl asked.

His onyx eyes glared, "Into a friendly basis are we now?"

"Ah! Sasuke-kun actually spoke to her too! You think they have something going on?" another girl said loudly, so everyone could hear.

All pairs of eyes were upon the now rather scared pink haired girl. "You…what relation do you have with Sasuke-kun?" a girl with auburn hair glared through angry blue eyes.

'Other then awhile ago I was almost killed by him…uh, that he promised to be my boyfriend 10 years ago…let's see…what else? He's almost a next-door neighbor? That pretty much covers it…' but aloud she didn't answer.

"Leave her alone Ami," Naruto defended her, "it's just her first day."

"Exactly why we have to get some things straight." Sakura stood calmly, not really caring about the over-reacting girl. "Listen here!" she grabbed the front of Sakura's shirt, "hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Sakura had been through this scene all too many times during her other school. All she had to do was place her hand around the other's wrist and squeeze lightly. Any harder and she could probably have broken the fragile bone. The girl winced, and reluctantly let go.

Sakura fixed her shirt, "I don't need to explain anything to you. And have you ever thought that your beloved Sasuke-kun doesn't like all this attention? Next time you pull crap like that, I **will** break your wrist. And that goes for all of you." Then she took the desk in front of Sasuke and sat one leg over the other.

The dark haired boy raised an eyebrow. She'd handled the situation well for a new kid. "S…Sakura-chan?" Naruto started off slowly, then again in his loud voice, "Sakura-chan was so cool! Did you see how she handled that?"

"Stuck up bitch," Ami had stalked away, and the other girls slowly went back to their seats awaiting the teacher as well.

"You handled that well," the usually silent Uchiha remarked, "I didn't think you had it in you."

She turned her head towards him. "Listen, I think you told me some time this week that I knew nothing about you. The same thing goes for me. I'm not an open book…" she was cut off by the morning announcements.

"Goooooooood morning Konoha! I hope you all had a wonderful summer break. We're glad to see all of your smiling faces back for another year. And welcome to those new students too! Today is a day 1 and we hope you all found your homeroom fine. Those who have problems with their timetables will be called down by grade…" and then Sakura couldn't make out the rest due to everyone talking.

She had the urge to yell "shut up!" but since she'd already made 'enemies' in the class, it was best she keep her mouth shut.

It must have been a good 15 minutes since school had started, and the teacher was still a no-show. Some of the students even began to leave…to think they'd skip on the first day… "Say Sasuke-kun," she said randomly, now over her seriousness and back to bubbly mode, "can I have a ride home today?"

"No."

"Aww! Why not?"

"Sasuke you jerk! Making a move on her already?" Naruto joined in the coversation.

"No you moron! You stay out of this. And besides, I didn't bring my ride anyway."

"What? Why not! It's such a long walk!"

"You're just out of shape then." That line sounded familiar. "Tsunade-sama gets mad when I bring it. Something about being improper for a high school boy to ride one…"

"Tsunade-sama?"

"The old principal," Naruto explained, "She looks around 30 but she's really old. Like in the 50s…"

"Naruto! That's not very nice…" Sakura tut-ed. And they well into silence again, just with the others conversations as a background. "Anyone know **who** are teacher is? Because they're really late."

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. "It's probably…" Sasuke started slowly, until a figure stood at the doorway.

"Yo," he greeted. He had on a mask of sorts, covering his nose down, and an eye patch over his right eye. "Sorry I'm late my dear book-worms. There was just something I had to take care off on the way to school you see. There was a woman, and she approached my with tear-filled eyes and said that…"

"LIAR!" Naruto stood up from his seat and yelled.

"Naruto! That's no way to talk to a teacher!" scolded the furious emerald eyes.

"Oh? Naruto? You're in this class? _Quelle_ _surprise_," he scratched his head. 'Sasuke too, what an odd combination indeed,' he continued in his head. "Well class, or whoever is left, I am Kakashi-sensei, your homeroom teacher."

Naruto settled down back into his spot, and without notice grabbed Sasuke's schedule. "Hmm. We have our next class together…that's it." He tossed it back, receiving a strange look from his stone-eyed friend. "Sakura-chan, gimmie your timetable!" She fished into a pile of binders and pulled it out. Blue eyes scanned it quickly. "Wha? You and Sasuke have a spare together?" he had exclaimed a bit too loudly.

"Care to share that with the rest of the class Naruto?" Kakashi lifted his head from whatever he had been reading to the class.

"No sensei…" he quieted down. This year would be very, **very** interesting.

* * *

Calculus was on the first floor. The bell had rung and she'd almost gotten trampled by the students who were practically dying of boredom in that last class. Their new teacher didn't seem too interesting. He was sitting there reading a book while everyone else did this sort of survey.

With difficulty, she'd found her next class, calculus. Math was one thing she was good at. There were about 12 people in the class. Since math wasn't mandatory she assumed most people had dropped it. But she did recognize two faces. They were unmistakably the Hyuuga cousins.

"H-Hinata-chan! Neji-kun!" Sakura walked over and adjusted her skirt.

"Ah! H-hello, Sakura-chan," Hinata said quietly from her seat in front of Neji. Her cousin simply nodded.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one taking calculus," she ranted and brushed a loose strand of hair back, "I think most people dropped math. No one really likes it other then me as far as I've known. Guys, am I ranting? If I am, please stop me now…"

Hinata giggled, "You're funny, Sakura-chan."

Neji was rather glad to see his cousin happy. Usually she was the odd-one-out in school. Just then the teacher walked in. "Class, settle down!" a strong-looking man who looked more like a gym teacher rather then math. He took out a piece of chalk. He wrote his name on the board; Asuma-sensei.

"Oh…" Hinata chewed her fingernail.

"What?" Sakura whispered leaning forward, as she'd taken a seat next to Neji.

"I wouldn't fool around in this class…" she said and couldn't finish.

"Welcome to calculus. I expect tip-top behavior from you. I take no wimps," he said, showing some device on his knuckles. Then he slammed it into the chalkboard, and it formed a giant dent, and the material cracked away where he'd hit it. Sakura's eyes popped in surprise. "So, do we have a deal?"

* * *

"Oh God, I thought I was going to die," the pink haired girl was walking alongside Hinata and Ino who they'd found after class. It was lunch hour now.

"You have Asuma-sensei? Good luck," Ino chuckled, not mentioning that he was her homeroom teacher. "So you gotten lost yet?"

"Plenty," the other replied sadly, as they took a table in the cafeteria. "I didn't realize the school was so big."

"What? Did you think we were the only teens in town?"

"No…just, ah nevermind. Look, there's Tenten!" Sakura waved her over. She'd spotted them and motioned that she'd be there shortly. She was wearing her hair in their usual buns, and talking to a group of guys. "She sure is popular."

"Yeah, it's always been like that. But she'd only got eyes for one…" Ino and Hinata both smiled. It left Sakura confused, "Nevermind, you'll see soon enough." Ino turned at aproaching footsteps, "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

"You being the cat?" asked Shikamaru boredly. Standing next to him was a rather round fellow, a bag of chips in his hands. He'd received a glare from the blond girl. "Ah, I can't believe school's on again. I wish it was just endless summer…" he sighed and flopped down next to Ino.

"Choji!"

The round kid looked up, but still munched on the chips. "How can you be so rude? Introduce yourself to Sakura-chan!" Ino scolded. His mouth was still full. "Okay, then **I'll** introduce. Sakura, Choji. Choji, Sakura. Good? Okay."

Lunch was interrupted when a rather strange sight entered the room. It was Naruto being carried by the back of his shirt by an adult woman. She was tall with pale hair, and had a cross look on her face. Sasuke followed behind her, hands stuffed in the pockets like always, shaking his head. Not only that, they were approaching where they were sitting.

"Tsunade-sama!" they all chorused, other then Sakura. Ino continued, "What did he do this time?"

"Not that it matters," the principal spoke, now which one of you gets to take on role of babysitter for him **this **year?" no one said a word. Her strong-looking stance seemed to overwhelm them, and even those who normally talked back to teachers, were silent. The scary part was, that she knew everyone by name, and knew all their habits. "You there," she pointed to Sakura, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "what's your name?"

"Ah…S-Sakura, Haruno Sakura."

A frown crossed her face, "Say it with confidence, girl! I don't want any pushovers in this school!"

It reminded Sakura of what Asuma-sensei had said. "Uh, yes ma'am." Her voice was more stable that time.

"Good improvement. I'm giving **you** the task of making sure Naruto stays in line this year, got it? You look like someone who I can expect great results from." She pushed the blond with force, that instead of sitting down, he almost fell over it. Then Tsunade strode away, no one else blocking her path.

A lot of the others giggled. The new girl was still lost. "Sorry about that, Sakura-chan…" the blond rubbed the back of his head, "that must have been…um…embarrassing?"

Her cheeks were indeed red. "No…" and everyone seemed a tad surprised, "no joke!" That statement made more sense. "What did you do to make her so angry?"

"Nothing!" Sure…right… "other then write stuff about the teacher on the board…and blame it on Sasuke…" Everyone shook their heads. He just never learned…high school kids were indeed still juvenile. There was some more talking among the others, as they settled down and ate, those who had lunches. Sasuke had gone off who-knew where, Tenten had come to join them, minus the guys, and Shikamaru and Ino went on to nonsense quarreling.

Awhile later, the five-minute bell rang. Then the bustling began. Most people had classes so then came the muttered, 'Oh crap I'm late!' or, 'You can find your way around…right?' or the, 'See ya, hope you don't get lost.' In a matter of seconds, most of the cafeteria was emptied. The pink haired teen was snapped out of the trance, when she noticed none of her acquaintances were there alongside her. That was just peachy, she was stuck in the middle of nowhere, without a clue where to go next.

She pulled out her schedule and looked at her 4th period. Gym class…at least that one was a freebie. She slumped onto the table. That proved interesting for the next…5 seconds. Sighing, Sakura picked up her bag and prepared to wander aimlessly down the halls, avoiding as many people/teachers as possible.

Well wandering aimlessly lasted an interest of all of about…5 minutes. It was an improvement. How long until the next class? 7 years? Probably, and if not it would feel like that. Reaching into her bag once more, she pulled out a novel. At least reading made time fly faster. So she was back to aimless wandering, except with a book in front of her face. Now how many people could one bump into while reading a book in a deserted hall? Turns out it wasn't so deserted…

So came the impact, and both fell to the ground, each somewhat sliding backwards. She looked up to meet his gaze. "Watch where you're going!" she huffed, pointing an accusing finger at none other then the great one who pulled the disappearing act earlier.

"Me? You're the one who can't walk in a straight line! Then sit down if you want to read!" said an equally annoyed Uchiha. He stood up and brushed off his clothes. He saw Sakura extend her hand, then wait. "What?"

"Help me up," she demanded like a princess. She had on that look too.

"Che. No."

"Help me up," she repeated, with a little edge to her voice. He didn't even respond this time, just continued to walk in his previous path. She caught his leg in mid-step. "Help me up damnit."

"What part of **no** was unclear? You have 2 legs and a heartbeat, so what's stopping you?" and before he knew it she'd latched onto his hand and pulled herself up. Either she'd forced that extra weight, or she was extremely heavy. "And if you pull that next time…no, there won't be a next time."

She flipped her pink hair and ignored him. Her hand reached for the book she was reading. "Darn, you made me loose my page too…but since I'm nice, I'll pick up yours too." He had been reading as well, and the book landed close to her own. She was surprised to find it was a mystery book, Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None'. "You read mysteries?"

He shrugged and took it from her hands without so much as a thank you. "I enjoy books when people die." She twitched. Maybe his plan to kill her before came from a murder mystery book. It sent an involuntary shiver across her body.

"S-Sasuke-kun!" she ran after him holding down her skirt so it wouldn't fly up, "so are you walking me **home** from school today?"

"No."

"Aww! Please! Why not?"

"You're more clingy than usual today. Can you go cling on someone else? Like Neji? You were doing a fine job of that this morning." He notice her cheeks glow a slight pink.

"H-how would you know?" she demanded. He didn't say anything and walked away. "Why you…" and then she was cut off by the bell, and more rampaging students. 'So that's why he left,' she growled angrily in the sea of people.

Well on the bright side, there were almost approximately…86 days left until Winter Break. Wooptie doo.

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**AN: **Just as I need a break from my long 12 paged chapter, I write an 8 paged one…sorry for the lameness of this chapter, since I did sort of rush it. I'm going on vacation for the next 2 weeks and will be without a computer. But I'll keep writing the old fashioned way and update when I get back alright?  
If anyone's confused about the school itself, here it is: The uniforms relate to I guess any stereotypical kind that you usually see in animes. How Sasuke looked, I guess you can say I liked what Kyo was wearing on the Fruits Basket volume 3 cover…about the classes, they're on a semestered schedule, so the other 4 classes will make their appearances later.  
Ho hmm, what else? Sasuke's got major attitude problems, jeez. Oh well, he'll start warming up eventually. I just really hope that this chapter wasn't totally boring or something. Anyway, until next time! 


	8. List of “What Must Be Accomplished

**Disclaimer: **The usual, own nothing but the plot.

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**Chapter 8**: **Sakura's List of "What Must Be Accomplished"**

Her room was a mess. Not as bad as it could have been, but still a mess. The contents on her dresser were spilling onto the floor, forming piles of small, useless items. There were two textbooks open on the floor, a notebook beside each. There were clean clothes in baskets that had just come from the wash, and not yet put away, other then some draped over the chair that were more-or-less considered put away. Despite the sea of decay, there were more important things to do for Sakura.

Like next to those two textbooks, was an open vile of lavender nail polish. She brushed the sticky liquid over her rather long nails. It took a matter of five minutes, then she replaced the lid without touching her nails. The stench of the polish filled the room. It didn't bother her.

One thing she was sure of, Haruno Sakura really needed to prioritize. There she lay on the first weekend off of school and was painting her nails rather then doing language and calculus homework. And if she didn't want to paint her nails, then at least she _should_ have been cleaning her room.

Next, instead of doing something useful, she went to the mirror and checked her already fixed hair. She sighed. The pink haired girl was simply too lazy to do something of value. With that thought in mind, she tore a sheet of paper from one of the notebooks. A pencil in hand, she scribbled down a heading:

_Haruno Sakura's List of What She Must Accomplish This Year_

Her emerald eyes scanned the room.

_1.Clean up room. _Well that wasn't too hard, and Sakura **loved** a challenge. She added a part. _…and keep it clean for the rest of the year until summer. _There, much better.

Then she looked at the sitting homework. Again, the pen moved on the page. _2.Get passing grades in all subjects. ­_Then she thought again. Passing meant 50 plus right? So if she got 51…it would still be good? She sighed, that would never do. She scratched it out and changed it. _Get over 80 in all subjects. _Eh…still not high enough, so she changed the 0 to a 5.

And now she was stuck. What else did she want…? Oh yes, _3.Get a steady boyfriend. _How could she have forgotten that? Hmm, she hadn't really thought of that since she'd made friends with people that summer. She made a list of all the eligible candidates. Firstly was…um…okay, secondly was…ah! This was frustrating! She hadn't looked at any of them like that!

'I need to do something,' she thought boredly, 'I need to join a team sport, or something. Wait! That's it!' –_4.Join a team sport…preferably tennis if that exists. _Alright, now she was done. There was probably **loads** more she could say, but that was it for now.

Out the window, she spotted the ever-so-popular Uchiha boy. He was walking in the direction of his house, kicking a stone along the way. Not that he would be the best conversation piece in the world, but still, Uchiha was better then no one. She lifted the window, letting in the cool wind. "Sasuke-kun!" she called to him.

He turned as saw her waving, but said nothing in reply. "At least you could say hi back you sadistic bastard!" That hadn't come out right. Great, now he'd hate her forever, not to mention kill her. His face turned into a scowl, and his feet were stuck in place. "Don't you have anything to say to that?" she screamed again. In a minute she'd probably loose her voice from yelling so much. There was always a solution to this, and that was to actually climb down the tree. So that's what she did.

So in a few moments Sakura was standing on the overhanging branch, looking down upon her 'friend'. She wore a sleeveless shirt and baggy sweats. "Okay, you can kill me now," she sighed.

All she got was a stare in return. "Hello?" the now annoyed teen scowled as well, "earth to Saskatoon! Come in Saska—hello? Do we have contact? Hello? HELLO?" She assumed that that last bit had worked in pushing him a bit over the edge of keeping his cool. For in the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of her on that same branch, towering over her with that extra height of his.

"Are you **purposely** more annoying than usual today? Do you want me to kill you?" he seethed, a leaf falling into his hair. He quickly brushed it off.

"Would you really harm a girl?" she asked sweetly. So much for that approach, meaning he would. "I stand by what I said earlier, you're a jerk. Can you at least **look** like you enjoy some part of life?" and she got no response, other then his constant stare. "Whatever, it's your life." Then she left him there and climbed up the natural ladder back up to her bedroom window.

Sasuke watched her go, then kept on looking in that direction, if she happened to pop her head out again, which she didn't. Not that he cared in anyway, nor was he looking for a pointless argument with her. So he sat in the tree, the simple fact that getting down was just too must effort, and sitting up here was a good place to stay anyway.

Inside her room, Sakura whisked out the sheet of paper again. _5.Help Sasuke-kun out of his sadist and "I hate everything/everyone/anything" attitude. _He was so nerve racking sometimes. How she stood him as a kid was beyond her. Maybe he wasn't as bad back then. Then something at the corner of her eye made her do a double take…

"KYAAAAAA!"

Sasuke nearly fell out of the tree. What in the hell had happened? Forgetting that he didn't actually care, he made his way up the remaining branches rather quickly. "Sakura?" he said somewhat frantically.

She was near the windowsill, and turned her head. "S-S-Sasuke-kun?" her eyes seemed wide with fright.

"Well what is it? Why the scream? I thought you were stabbed or something…"

"C…c…c…"

"Kidnapper?" he said trying to think what else made that sound, and jumped on the ledge.

"COCKROACH!" she yelled and clamped to his bare arm, and pointed to a tiny black bug on the floor. He couldn't believe it. Worrying that much for a simple bug? Yet this girl was trembling in fear. There a **whole** lot more things that were scarier then an ugly bug.

"Are you…you screamed because of a tiny insect," a twinge of annoyance was present in the usual monotone voice. "Oh please, step on it or something, but this is stupid. Goodbye."

"No! No! No! Kill it for me Sasuke-kun! Please! Please!" Sakura was practically hyperventilating.

"You're who knows how many times bigger then it is! Just step on it…and let go of me!"

"Sasuke-kun! It's scary! KILL IT! You aren't leaving until it's dead!" she shook him violently, forgetting that the windowsill didn't exactly have a whole lot of room.

"Watch it you idi—" that's when he could feel his feet weren't exactly on a firm object anymore. It was all like a flash. The next thing they both knew, Sasuke was hanging outside the third story window of Sakura's room, who happened to be his only support from not falling, since she was safely inside, holding onto his wrist. "Moron!"

"I'm sorry! Really sorry Sasuke-kun! I'm sorry, really I am. Please forgive me, oh please, oh please! Sorry, sorry times a billion…"

"Quit apologizing and get me up, stupid! You won't hold on forever, weakling."

"What did you just call…oh yes! Pull up. Okay, here I go," she closed her eyes and tried to bring him up. Guys were so much heavier then girls nowadays. That and she had next to no muscle to pull such weight. "Um, Sasuke-kun…"

He gritted his teeth. "Can't pull me up, can you?" he saw her shake her head. This was simply perfect. Not even graduated high school, and he was about to die. "Just…just try harder." All one needed to do was keep a cool head about it.

But her eyes weren't watching him anymore. "Um…Sasuke-kun?" she said rather reluctantly. He didn't say anything in response, but he was listening. "Down there…coming close…Naruto, Kiba and Hinata are coming this way…this would be a strange sight…"

"Naruto?" he questioned, but it was more a statement. "God damnit! I'll get up myself. Whatever you do, Sakura, don't let go or fall out the window." She nodded and gripped the top of the window for support. Sasuke aligned his feet to the wall, and begun to step up, so as like walking vertically. The muscles in his arm tensed as he climbed.

Sakura felt as if her arm was going to be pulled from its socket. She'd rather throw him off the building then go through this pain. Well, that wasn't entirely true, but there must have been a less painful way. Like if she'd fallen instead of him…but then he'd have probably **let** her fall. Her newly painted nails were digging into his flesh.

He slowly could reach his free hand to grip the windowsill, and that made the weight a lot lighter. So then the pink haired girl pulled like mad. To both of their relief, they were now on the safety of Sakura's bedroom floor. She was on her back, he on his knees, both panting. However they'd made it inside before the 3 friends could notice anything.

"Moron…" he repeated, clutching his arm where her nails had dug in. It was bleeding.

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?" she said slowly in between breaths. Her eyes gazed over to him. "You…your arm! Did I do that?" she asked.

"Yeah, but it's nothing…worry about yourself and your stupid weak arm."

However she'd let that last thing slide, and went into the washroom, and came back with a few things. "Maybe so but still. I got you into that mess, at least me check those cuts."

"Don't push yourself, just let me go home."

"Sit."

"I don't want—" and then she yanked him down, with more force then he'd expected. If only that strength had worked the other way.

"I just put nail polish on anyway. That stuff's toxic if it get into your blood. The chance that it did is low…but still. Now be a good little boy and let me see." More like she forced him, as she examined the tiny cuts. It was about time to cut her nails…

She dabbed a cotton ball in the container, which Sasuke had only read until now which read, "Woman! You trying to make it hurt more then it already does?" he tried to pull away, but her grip rested firm.

She blew on the areas where she'd put the alcohol. "Trust me…if it gets infected, it'll hurt way more then it does now. So just suck it up, okay?" her nimble finger slid up and down his lower arm. He had to admit, it felt rather nice. So he was silent the rest of the time, and she wrapped from his wrist to elbow with white bandages. "There, done!" she said proudly.

"You going to become a doctor or something?" he asked, and she shrugged in reply.

"In any case…you're…leaving now?"

"Aa." He headed towards the door, deciding not to take the window exit. Then he felt someone latch to his arm again. "What now?"

"C…c…c…"

"Please don't tell me…"

"COCKROACH! Kill it Sasuke-kun!" the girl cried. Here they went again…

Mental note, _6.Get over fear of bugs._

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The 3 of them sat in a circle on the cool marble floor. Hinata looked worried, Kiba looked serious, and Naruto was chewing his bottom lip. "Naruto…" Kiba turned to him, "it's your turn."

The blonde's palms were sweating, so he wiped them on his pants. "O…okay…" he took in a deep breath.

"Naruto…are you ready? You **can't** fail this mission," the other reminded him sternly.

"Yes…I know…" more sweat on his forehead, and he cleaned that too. This was it…now or never. He only hoped he'd make the right choice. "Okay, go for it!" he said confidently.

Hinata put her two hands together, almost in prayer. Kiba smirked, "Ready, Naruto?" then for an extra dramatic and suspenseful tone, he paused. "Find 'dy' over 'dx' for this equation: y equals sin(x³+3x²+1)"

Yes, the joys of calculus homework. The nice lesson for derivatives, the chain rule. "Ah! I knew there'd be a question like that!" he messed up his own hair, "I can do this though! I can and I will! Give me that paper!" Hinata passed him the requested item as well as a pencil. The two watched the blond write numbers and variables down. After a few minutes, he'd come up with an answer. "Okay, is this right?"

Kiba took the paper and passed it to Hinata. Her silver eyes gazed over it. (3x²+6x)cos(x³+3x²+1) "I…it's right…" she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really? Seriously, you mean it?" he brightened. And people told him he was stupid… "Yes! Who's passing math this term? I am of course! It's all thanks to you, Hinata! Without your help, I'd still be in grade 10 applied math…"

"N-Naruto-kun. I…I didn't d-do much…" she blushed and spoke quietly.

"No need to be modest, Hinata. We'd both be failing without your help. Give yourself a bit more credit," Kiba reassured her.

"Uh…okay…I…I guess."

"I'm passing math, I'm passing math!" the blue eyed one kept chanting, walking around in circles. "I'm going to graduate! I'm going to graduate!"

"Would you shut up already?" a voice from inside the closed door spoke, then it swung open, revealing a rather ticked looking Neji. Sweat lined his brow.

"Oh, well **excuse me**! Did I interrupt your little make out session in there?" he shot back, good mood now ruined.

This made the Hyuuga frown, but another voice spoke. "Please, Naruto. You shouldn't joke like that," Tenten immerged, holding a slightly battered kanata. "It's called sparring. Since when have you seen people make out with swords?"

"Easy. Just incase what's-his-face goes too far you can stab him!" and then Naruto was sent into a fit of laughter. Everyone else was silent.

"Naruto…when you're the only one laughing at your joke…that isn't good," Kiba said dryly, but didn't care one way or another if he wanted to continue making a fool out of himself.

Neji pushed some locks from his face. "Well, in that case, at least I can **get** women. Unlike a **certain** someone," he spoke smoothly.

The laughter subsided. It was replaced by seriousness. "You weren't talking about me, were you?" when no response came, the answer was quite obvious. Well, it was obvious before too… "That is **so** not true! I can get **any** girl…that isn't already taken or in love with someone else…to go out with me!"

"Oh really? Prove it!" the other challenged.

"Okay, fine! I will!" and instantly he regretted saying that. Prove it to whom? Who was he going to prove it to? Tenten definitely not, since she was one of the primary sources of the bet. He'd rather **not** ask a guy, so the only option left was… "Hiiiiiiiiiinata?" he called sweetly, walking over to her side. "So, would you consider, um, possibly going out with me?"

The world stopped momentarily. It was now the perfect time to jump off! What was she to say? There was her big moment to accept….but ah! Why…why were there so many people around to watch? There was everyone else pressuring her silently to decline, but then how in the world could she say no to her lifetime crush? Life was so complicated sometimes… "I…well, you s-s-see…"

The room was quiet. "Aww, stop picking on Hinata-chan!" Tenten scolded, "she's **way** to nice to turn anyone down!"

"Please. And don't try to pick up anyone in my house either," drawled Neji. "That's for you to do in your own time, and in your own place. So before I stab you, get out."

"Wha? You can't just kick me out like that! Just because of one stupid comment-"

"Get out." He repeated again, narrowing his eyes.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiinata! Tell your stupid cousin he can't kick me out!"

Neji took Tenten's kanata and pointed it towards Naruto. "I won't say it again. Get. Out."

The blond mumbled incoherently. "I'm going…" he reached the end of the hall, and decided he was too far away for Neji to suddenly bound down the hall to kill him. "Oh yeah, hurry up and **get a girl friend!**" Knowing that he wouldn't be welcomed back the rest of the weekend, Naruto made his way out of the front door. While outside, he pondered upon the bet. 'I wonder if Sakura-chan will accept now that she's used to me more…'

The bug now dead, after some complaints from the two teens, Sakura now sat alone in her room. She sneezed. Frowning, she added another thing to the list. ­_7.Make sure no one talks about me behind my back. If I find who they are, punch them. _

It would be a fun, annoying, challenging, and surprising year.

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**AN**: Okay guys, I promised I'd update as soon as I came back so here it is. Forgive me with this chapter, since I wrote it on the airplane. Cabin pressure really makes you tired but I needed something in order to update right? I decided not to kill the plot with my weird mood, so here's something funny, or at least I hope it was. At least later on in the story Sakura has to do all of those 'accomplishments'. Forget Sakura's lame OOC-ness towards bugs there. I'm personally not afraid of them but I know my share of people who are. Another thing, forgive the calculus. I'm not that far in high school math yet –laughs-. I got it from my second cousin (but I don't trust his judgement with these things…so I'm just leaving it at that.)

Next chapter I finally get to work with some pairings! –insert evil laugh-. Up to you who they are right now, but I guess I'll finish it in what? A week or so? Now that summer's here, I have a lot more time to write!


	9. Heating Up, Cooling Down and Tutoring

**Disclaimer:** The usual, own nothing but the plot…

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**Chapter 9: Heating Up, Cooling Down and Tutoring **

It was the first week of October, and you could say life was back to normal. Well, whatever normal was. There weren't any definite rules for 'normal', especially living with a female teenager who was probably the only one of her kind to wake up 2 hours early for school.

'I need to get a life…' she thought sadly, waltzing down the stairs and to the fridge to pull out something edible to eat. Her microwave privileges were finally returned. Not that she dared use the infernal machine. So instead she pulled out the butter and took out a piece of bread from the breadbox and placed it in the toaster. She made extra-sure that it wouldn't burn.

Thankfully there were no small appliance malfunctions today. So like most mornings, she slipped silently out of the house, before running back inside to get a jacket. Someone forgot it was already October outside. Now with a light red jacket with a single thick, white stripe across the chest. She took a slow pace and shivered. What exactly was wrong with girls wearing pants? Didn't those people who came up with uniforms live in a place where it could get cold? Hello, tights or knee-high socks didn't cut it when wind was around.

She stopped by the gate of the Hyuuga estate. The lone house sat on its huge chunk of land; no motion inside it whatsoever. What were the chances, Hinata didn't get to school until it was necessary and Neji was usually even up before she was. Not that they talked much anyway. Okay, so maybe on the occasion when they were alone…which was like never…so that was that.

The only company she had was the crunching sound her shoes made against the road. School walks in the mornings were usually this quiet, but she was starting to get used to it. Several minutes that she was positive were hours later, she came across the 'secret way' that the Hyuuga had shown her on the very first day. She'd almost forgotten it was there.

With nothing better to do, Sakura made her way slowly, brushing some branches and long strands of grass out of the way. It was messing up her hair slightly, and she half regretted coming this way. Her pale face displayed a frown. What if she'd gotten lost? They'd never find her in a patch of bushes in some remote area near the streets. She'd be on 'Amber Alert' forever! Either that or she was paranoid. Now which was more likely?

Turns out she never actually had to worry about that in the first place. The sound of rushing water was a relief. Then the bridge was in view. Finally stepping onto its wooden surface, she bushed off any stray leaves from her pink hair. She smoothed out the skirt, and leaned on the edge of the railing.

It really was peaceful here. The fresh smell of water particles in the air was all over. She inhaled the crisp air deeply. Yes, it sure was perfect here. She'd rather ditch class and stay here all day.

A shiver ran down her spine. Okay, so maybe not…it would get really cold. She sighed; this was a great place to think. Think about everything. Think about nothing. It was just…well…nice. Then Sakura got an odd feeling. It was vaguely familiar too. Left, right, back…there was no one. She chewed on her lip. Call her paranoid but something was there. Uneasily, she turned back into gazing out to the river.

"Wound up pretty tightly, neh?" a voice spoke, scaring the wits out of the pink-haired female. She had to look back…and up to find the source.

"Please…" she managed to get out, clutching her heart, "don't do that Neji-kun. You scared me half to death…"

He hopped down from the tree and landed on the wood. "You're here early," he commented, changing the subject. He joined her on leaning on the rail.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," she said leaving out the part that she normally got up at that hour anyway. Then only the water was heard. She rubbed her hands together, as they were turning slightly red from the cold. "So cold…" she thought out loud.

"Just wait. It'll get a lot colder then this. It's actually nice out today," the Hyuuga said indifferently, white eyes fixed ahead of him. He was quite talkative today.

"Well…well…I get cold easily!" she defended. It turns out that it wasn't the best defense the world had ever seen. "See, they're really cold." She placed the back of her hand against his cheek. She realized he probably didn't appreciate the contact too much, but it was the only way to get her point across.

Neji inwardly flinched. Those hands were cold, but like he'd really say that aloud. "Uh…huh…" and then sort of stood there, watching her shiver. She was even wearing a jacket…how was she cold, exactly? And here he was simply in the uniform sweater, and was perfectly fine. Through the corner of his eye, he observed one cold hand placed over the other, in hopes that they'd magically become warm. He unzipped the sweater and extended his hand with it to Sakura.

Emerald eyes gazed rather surprisingly toward the male standing next to her. He wasn't even looking away. She took it reluctantly, muttering a 'thank you'. She placed it back wards, so that the sleeves were still over her arms, but the back was across her front. The sleeves were too long for her, and folded past her hands. At least it was warm. "Ah…warmness…"

"Why do you have it on backwards?" he asked uncaringly, with a slightly strange look as to how she had decided to wear the jacket.

"Well it won't fit the right way," she shrugged, "and it keeps my hands warm this way."

"You certainly are very strange."

"I know." She sighed happily. "Aren't you cold?"

"No."

"Oh, okay then." She sounded like a kid. He found it kind of…cute. However, hell would freeze over before Hyuuga Neji actually used a word like that. "Um…Neji-kun, we should get going now…to school I mean."

He nodded, and led the way out. Just before reaching the school grounds, he stopped. "Um, why'd you stop?" she piped up.

"Sweater."

"Oh, right," she handed it to him, "thanks again for letting me use it." He slipped it on and zipped it back up, like it hadn't been removed in the first place. "Wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea now, would you," she teased playfully.

He didn't take it so lightly. "Right. I'll see you again in class, Sakura." With that he took his leave before her.

'A man of many words,' she thought dryly, and set out from the forest path. 'But he was nicer than usual, lending me his sweater…and all.' Her cheeks felt slightly warmer. 'He was so warm…well…his sweater was. It's close enough…' but better keep that little bit a secret between her and…herself.

* * *

Day 3, meaning her spare period was first. She'd finally memorized the basic layout of the school, and was no longer late for class because of it. On most spares, she would wander until she'd found her lovely conversation piece, who always seemed to be somewhere different. It made it difficult to talk with him, even though he never actually wanted to talk. He found it quite annoying actually. She'd asked him once, and never stopped bugging him since. She was such a great friend.

Like he was any better though. He could be equally as annoying as she could. All that silence and crap like that…oh, how she loathed it with a passion! Did he know how much more popular he would be if he actually **opened up** his shell once in awhile? Not that he wasn't doing a good job using his regular tactics.

She wandered down the third floor. Yes, he was avoiding her again. That is, until she found him in the stairwell, with a copy of The Ring manga open. More gore…how typical. "Neh, Sasuke-kun. Won't you read a normal book for once?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Hn, what's it to you?" he asked coldly, not removing the onyx orbs from the page.

"Nothing. I was just thinking how much more thoughts you'd have in your head if you read something else other then nonsense blood and things of murder." She slumped beside him. The Uchiha boy didn't say anything in return. "See, read something like this," she pulled out a thick novel. "There's killing in this book, but also things like adventure, betrayal, and so forth."

"Well then good for you," he replied, not tearing his eyes from the pages.

She sighed, "You aren't listening are you? Can we talk about something other then books then?"

"Sure," he responded, but that didn't mean he was going to put the captivating comic down.

"Humph, some gentleman you are. Has anyone compared you to anyone, like Neji-kun before? He's so polite, and kind. Maybe it wouldn't kill to be like him for once."

"Very fond of him, are you?"

"Why, are you jealous?"

"Maybe."

That had surprised her a little. Then it dawned on her, this was 'Sasuke-sarcasm-while-reading-manga'. "You don't care the least, do you?"

"Not a bit."

Well, at least she'd managed to spark up a conversation with him, which was her main goal. She snatched the book from his hands, annoyed. Her green eyes glared into his. "Will you listen to me, please?"

He stood up, rather angrily, and grabbed the comic back. "No," and hit her lightly over the head with it, "idiot." And then made his exit.

'Jerk,' she thought of why he left, then the bell rang. Oh, rampaging students rushing to their next class. And she was sitting in the stairwell. Stupid guy, leaving her to be trampled. Oh, he would pay later.

* * *

The clock ticked louder than usual, as stress hung over the last period language class. They were all hunched over their test papers, scribbling down whatever looked right. 'Jeez, I should have studied harder,' thought a rather strained Ino. Leave it to her teacher to create a 5-paged test on simply 1 unit.

"2 minutes left," called Asuma, looking at his watch. The sound of racing pencils increased dramatically.

'Oh crap, I still have 2 questions left,' she bit her lip nervously. She jotted down two answers just before time ran out.

"Pencils down!"

There were some groans among the students, Ino among them. "I didn't even have time to look over my work. Neh, Shikamaru, you finished, right?" her blue eyes wandered behind her, where the dark haired male lay face down on his desk. "Shikamaru!" her voice was angrier this time, jolting him from his slumber. He gazed up lazily, waiting for her usual wrath. "Please tell me you finished." No answer. "You…what…I don't get it…"

Asuma walked by, collecting the papers and dismissing the students after that. "Test please, Ino." The blonde handed it to him. She rose slowly from her seat, gazing back to what her teacher would say to him. This wouldn't end pretty. He gazed at his student's empty paper. "Shikamaru, care to explain this?"

"No, not really. There isn't anything to explain."

Ino slapped her forehead; he was asking for a death sentence. "Do you just not care about this class?" his teacher asked calmer then expected. His student shrugged. "How do you plan on graduating, exactly?"

"I'll pull it off."

"And what about your future? How are you going to get a decent job if you don't clean up your act?" Asuma asked sternly.

He shrugged again. "Sensei is right, Shikamaru," Ino slammed her hand down on his desk, making him sit up straight rather then slumped over. "It isn't a joke anymore. Take things seriously sometimes."

"How troublesome…" he scratched the back of his head, Ino growling about how little threat her statement had made.

"I bet all you need is some motivation," his teacher said, seeing the slight bond between the two. "Ino, I'm giving you the task of tutoring Shikamaru here."

The two gave him both strange looks. "Tutor him? He could tutor me!" she said in a slight laugh, "Sensei, as his previous teacher you have to know how smart this kid is. I mean…I'd like to call myself intelligent and all, but really now!" Her classmate sighed; this was something new. Ino sticking up for him…in a way.

"I understand that," Asuma replied, "but not as a study sort of thing. I'm assuming with you around, he gets more productive. With anyone actually. I just trust you to do the best job with him." They were talking about the lazy teen as if he weren't even there, or like a toy of some sort. "I'll leave you two at that." He took the blank test away, and walked out of the room.

"What was that about?" he asked lazily, collecting his things.

"You…" oh dear, there was the wrath. She was going to blow. "See what you've made me commit to? Now he expects **great** results from you and we know that's **not** going to happen until the exams come around! How could you get me into this? **How**?" her fists were clenched with rage.

"No one told you to stick around," he sighed standing up, "you just happened to be there." He brushed past her, zipping up the sweater of his uniform. Just before stepping out the door, "Hey," it mad the blonde snap out of her murderous thoughts, "thanks." With that he left her standing there.

She was utterly confused. "Neh, Shikamaru!" she ran slightly to catch up to him, "thanks for what?" He didn't say anything else and continued walking down the hall. "Weird," she said, then noticed her favorite person walking towards her, on his way to his locker. "Sasuke-kun!" she chirped happily, all previous concerns for the other momentarily gone.

* * *

**AN: **Finally, I got to work with some pairings here! Probably not too many of the ones you anticipated, but hey, -laughs evilly-. I realized once I wrote the slight SakuNeji part, that I really had nothing more to write, so there comes her weird relations with Sasuke and the Shikamaru and Ino thing. Don't ask me how I come up with these things…  
Are people losing interest in this fic? (I mean, is it going to slowly for everyone?), I've noticed a big lack in reviews lately, so I was wondering…(maybe I'm just paranoid…) HUGE thanks goes out to those who reviewed though! Sorry for the short chapter, since I'm busy with some camps and all. (Yep, I wrote this mostly on lunch breaks…haha!)  
Anyway, on a somewhat positive note, I can say next chapter is split into 3 parts. No, it's not because it'll be super-long, rather…oh well, you'll see. 


	10. Advanced Bloodlines: Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Same old, same old.

And just a quick note here before I get on with this chapter. There were originally supposed to be 2 parts of 2 songs in this chapter (lyrics I had to take out). You'll see what I mean when you get to that part, but just so you know, "Fall Behind Me" belongs to The Donnas, and "Farther Away" to Evanescence.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Advanced Bloodlines: Prologue**

The orange and black ball bounced several times before it was caught. He held it tightly in his hands, positioning them perfectly. Onyx eyes gazed at the basket, his target, which he was sure to get. Bending his knees and then propelling himself upwards, the ball left his hands.

"Jinx!" a rather distracting voice called out, breaking his concentration slightly. No matter, it went in with a swish anyhow.

The perks of Phys. Ed class. Just proved that high school students were indeed still juvenile. Choji stood under the basket, and caught the ball as it came down. He tossed it back to Sasuke, who lined up for another shot. "Hey, Naruto. Be quiet next time, will you?"

"Humph, not that it matters," he grumbled, watching his friend sink another perfect basket. "You're doing fine, showoff."

"Neh, Naruto, leave Sasuke alone will you? Not like he's doing you any harm other then insulting you," Choji spoke up, sending back the ball to the dark haired athlete.

"Harm? Why does he automatically get a spot on the team without tryouts?"

"Because he was last year's star player. You know that." The conversation between the two continued, Sasuke ignoring them both. Selective listening came in handy some times.

"Yeah, and how do explain Rock Lee's case? He was on the team last year, and **he** doesn't need to try out again either!" he jerked a finger to the basket opposite them. The three of them actually turned to see Lee practicing drills with their gym teacher Matto Gai. He was a Rock Lee look alike…no, more like Lee looked like him. It was rather scary.

"Yes! That's perfect Lee! You are indeed in the prime of your youth!"

"Thank you, Sensei! I'm honored you think so!"

"I knew my best student would never fail me!"

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

They both gave a thumbs-up sign. The three watching them all just turned back to their previous activities, not bothering to question exactly what they were seeing. Sasuke executed another perfect basket. "It's because he's got Gai-sensei's recommendation, or influence," he replied.

"Say, Naruto. Weren't you on the team last year too?" Choji asked.

"Yes, but **I** have to try out…something that Sensei said about being out of practice…or whatnot."

From the other side of the sliding gym door, resided the girls' gym class. "Alright girls, go get changed," Kurenai-sensei spoke, and then multiple footsteps were heard crowding the entrance to their change room door.

After the noise died down, Naruto shook his head. "Why do they let them out 20 minutes early to change?" he asked, and got 2 shrugs in reply. "Seriously, 20 minutes…what do they do in there?"

"And you expect us to know?" a deadpanned-toned Sasuke asked, not expecting an answer.

* * *

"Oh, who're the lucky two today?" one of the girls spoke rather loudly, checking a board in the change room. Her finger scrolled down the list of names, "Ah ha! Today it's Chie and Sakura!"

Great, the pink-haired teen threw back on her uniform shirt. If there was one thing she hated doing (of many) it was public speaking, never mind public singing. It was like a Phys. Ed tradition. After every class, there would be two classmates who would sing a verse to a favorite song. A stupid tradition passed on from their previous years of singing in the change rooms. It was a girl thing.

"Hey, you've done it once already," Tenten assured her, zipping up her skirt, "how bad can the second time be? No one cares if it's bad…"

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled in return. Thankfully the girl Chie was going first. Not that she would do any better then that brunette.

Flipping her shoulder-length hair, Chie grabbed a hairbrush lying on the bench, pretending it was a microphone. "This song's been in my head lately," she cooed, and began to belt out the melody.

The twenty-some-odd girls hushed to listen, some clapping their hands to the familiar tune of the Donnas _Fall Behind Me_.

The class usually gave polite claps, not cheers, but in this case it was that good. "And the moral of that song is: Don't skip steps or else you'll trip and have a huge bruise that make-up won't cover." Everyone laughed.

"Sakura!" Ino's high voice rang, startling the girl greatly, "don't think that just 'cause the bell's about to ring doesn't mean you're off the hook. Now sing with all that your tiny vocal chords can take."

She really hadn't needed to put it that way. "Uh, th-thanks, Ino. Um…I guess this is just the first song that came to me now. Depressing if you ask me." She drew in a deep breath and started.

She chose Evanescence's _Farther Away_, and even though it wasn't Amy singing, it was still pretty good. With a foreign wave of confidence, stood up on the bench and continued.

And so it should happen that right in the middle of the next verse, the bell had rung. Sakura placed her hand over her heart and climbed down, while students began to run out the door. "Hey, that was decent," Tenten complimented, as they both exited together, "you have to little confidence."

"Can I borrow some of yours then?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nah, sorry. It isn't for sale," she shot back, "well see you later, this is my class," and stepped into the room labeled 'Physics Lab'. Her, on the other hand, would dump her gym clothes in her locker, and then set out to find her great conversation piece…it was a spare period, of course. Now where would beloved Sasuke-kun be hiding today?

* * *

Kakashi-sensei stood at the front of the class, reading out pages of a book to the half of the class that was still there. Yes, he'd been late again, so of course the usual had skipped. He turned to the blackboard, and began to write some notes on iambic pentameter.

During this time, several people were doing different things. Sakura was attentively looking back and forth between the front of the class and the notebook in front of her. Language was her worst subject, after all. Best to pay attention. Sasuke had his head rested in his hand, and in the other held a pencil, taping it boredly on the desk. Others were doing the same. Naruto on the other hand, his head was face down, buried in his arms, fast asleep.

The silver haired teacher paused with his notes and turned, his one good eye inspecting the class. Sure enough, his gaze landed on Naruto. He walked over to his student's desk, the class eyeing him the entire way. He tapped his shoulder.

The blond sleepily tilted his head up, only to be faced with an indifferent look from his teacher. "Naruto, is the lesson that boring?" he asked. The class was dead quiet.

He jumped up with a start, blue eyes wide with panic. "I'm sorry, Sensei! It won't happen again! I promise!" and as fast as he'd gotten up, sat back down.

"That wasn't the question, Naruto. Is my lesson that boring?" he repeated. The blond was at a loss for what to say. "I want an honest answer."

Well, he'd asked for honest. "Yes, Sensei." Some people laughed. Frankly, Kakashi hadn't hoped he'd be so blunt. Yet, that was Naruto for you. Typical. You'd think after being his Shishou for a few years, would know his student by then.

He walked back to the front of the class, and another silence loomed. This was it, detention for **everyone**. He sat down at his desk, "So what would you like me to teach the class then?" No one answered. "Well? I just want to know, what do you want to be enlightened on?"

"Sensei, why do you always wear that mask?" a student piped up. It was followed by a chorus of ''yea's' and 'good point's'.

He rubbed the back of his head, "My, my. What an awkward question. I guess you could call it a superstition." The class hushed again. His free eye roamed again, every single person was attentive. Or, more attentive then usual. "If I'd known that this would get all of you up, I'd have done it long ago…"

"Get on with it!" another student, said.

"Yes, yes. Well, a long time ago, humans weren't really…humans. Well, they were but not really human, human, but really they were in a way…"

"Sensei!"

"Yes, sorry. Anyway, at the time, there were such things as demons, talking animals, supernatural powers…"

"Are you making this up?"

"No, no! It's true. Let me finish here! Well humans had found a way to channel special energy flowing inside them to create these supernatural powers, whether it be fire breathing or casting illusions…"

"Why does this seem like another one of his stories?"

Kakashi chose to ignore that comment, "This way of life suited a lot of people. More importantly, the people from clans of advanced bloodlines."

"Advanced bloodlines? What's that, Sensei?"

"Will you all be quiet and let me finish?" and then not a word, "advanced bloodlines, were special powers that other humans couldn't have. It let them do things that no others were capable of achieving, and usually you recognized a bloodline limit because some physical change happens. It's not a big change, like different eye colour, or something."

"So what happened to those clans?"

He shrugged, "Some people believe descendants still exist." He inwardly smiled, he'd used this story ages ago if he'd knew the whole class, even Sasuke and Naruto were paying attention. "I can't really prove that. But they say that people who still have this limit will never tell anyone. It's considered a curse to society, and they'd probably be shunned, for it's not a normal occurrence. From what I've heard, they can't control this limit anymore, so it's more of a curse to them then anything. So it's said that people with this curse are usually very secretive, and prefer to be alone."

All gazes fell on the Uchiha boy. He looked from side to side at all the eyes staring, and it freaked him out a bit. "What?" he asked angrily.

Kakashi, still at his desk, cleared his throat. All attention shifted again. "So that's that. I hope that answered your questions," he said smiling under the mask.

"But Sensei," Naruto spoke up, "what does that have to do with your mask?"

The clock ticked in the background, while no one dared talk in the class. Suddenly, the bell rang. "Well, have a nice weekend, kiddies. Homework is on the board," and with that, the teacher had zoomed out of the room before further questions could be asked.

It left the class rather dumbfounded. Well, that was Kakashi-sensei for you.

* * *

Time was running out in the school day, and calculus class made it **that** much slower. And not only that, they'd been assigned group projects. Yes, group projects in calculus.

Now, at her old school, Sakura never had group projects, much less in math. Apparently their task was to find everyday uses for calculus, and prepare a presentation for it. Yes, it would be hell this project. And guess what? It was due on Monday.

Asuma-sensei had chosen the partners. He'd gone in alphabetical order. Luckily, Sakura had ended up with Hinata. So when the time for class to end finally came, the conversation went like this.

"So can I come over today and do it? Because it's such a drag on the weekends, especially since we could be doing other things then math," the pink haired girl carried her books alongside her two friends.

"I…um…don't know. It's up to Neji-nii san." Her cousin said nothing and shrugged a 'Do-as-you-please' shrug. "Well…then…okay, I guess…"

"Yes! Okay! Thanks! I'm going to run up to my locker, be back here in a second." And then she dashed up the stairs, out of sight.

The Hyuuga children could have sworn it was merely a second before she returned with her small school shoulder backpack. "Well, shall we go?" she asked rather happily, setting foot outside.

The sky was getting grayer by the minute, and the humid air seemed to have that same effect on the group. "Say, Neji-kun. Aren't you supposed to be doing your project with…what's her name…Lina?"

"Yeah, but she said something about wanting to do it alone, and I'd get in the way. Something along those lines, so I left," he shrugged uncaringly.

They were a good minute walk from the estate when the rain started to come down. The three of them ran fast, and only ended up slightly wet. Hinata had gone to tell her father that a guest was over, and left Sakura alone to admire her room. How she envied the blue-haired girl at this moment…

"S-Sakura?" Hinata entered her room quietly.

"Yes?"

"Um, you can stay, but you'll need to leave before 8. Father's wishes."

"No problem. We'll be mostly done by then."

By the time itwas 6 o'clock, Sakura was told that she'd been invited down to dinner. There, she'd met Hiashi, Hinata's father, and Hanabi, her sister. They were all very friendly, despite her being a stranger in the house. However, her friend's mood seemed to be going from bad to worse over the course of the evening, as her gaze kept shifting to the outside. The rain was coming down in buckets, with the occasional flash of lightning.

Oh, this would not end well.

* * *

**AN: **Well, first off, I have to say I can't believe I made it past 100! Omg guys! I love you all so very much at this moment! (Probably why this chapter came faster then usual). I'm so glad that it isn't going to slow for most people.

Ok, notes on this particular chapter. Shishou, for those who don't know, is a title given to martial arts masters/teachers. The only actual important part was the ending. (Kakashi explaining his random facts). Once I wrote that part, I realized I had nothing more I really wanted, but that was waaaaay to short. So there's the random gym moments. Boring, yes, I know, but it needed to be done. I think that's it.

On another random note, reading over the reviews again, I've been starting to wonder if people read my author's notes anymore. In chapter 1, I described all the pairings that would be used. Neji/Saku was one of them, but need I remind you, like my summary says, it is **mainly** Sasu/Saku. So all you guys don't worry, okay?For the other pairings that are in the summary, just be patient. It'll come, it'll come. And the sand sibs, I've said they come in later, way later. In fact…-goes and checks chapter planning sheet- not until chapter 19! So patience.

So, for next time (yup, I'm going to do a little preview here from now on): The Hyuugas have a secret, and they aren't willing to share it. But sometimes, hiding the truth can be worse. You never know how it'll bring you closer to others…


	11. Advanced Bloodline: The Byakugan

**Disclaimer**: Blah blah blah…what makes you think this thing is going to change?

* * *

**Chapter 11: Advanced Bloodline: The Byakugan**

It was past 7 at this point, where Sakura and Hinata were still in mid-project. It was a surprisingly hard assignment, meeting all the guidelines their teacher had set. "Hmm. How are we going to tie this in to the presentation?" Sakura asked, holding up a sheet of information printed off from the Internet.

"Uh…let's put that with the others near the end. It d-doesn't really fit anywhere else," Hinata spoke, writing down what still needed to be done. "H-how long is it so far?"

"It's almost 2 pages." With a nod, her blue haired friend went back to writing. The day was getting to long for her liking. All she really wanted was to go home right now and make some hot chocolate in the microwave and sit down in front of the TV. Scratch the microwave hot chocolate idea. It was better to use the kettle anyway. But getting back on track. "Now would be the perfect time to curl up on the couch and drink hot chocolate," she voiced her opinion.

"Yeah," the other agreed, not pausing from her work.

"The weather really gets to you," Sakura said to no one in particular, once again getting distracted from her work. She went to the window and observed the gloominess outside. The rain hadn't let up since they'd gotten home, and didn't look like it was stopping any time soon either. A flash of light blinded her vision for a split second, sending shivers down her spine. "I really hate lightning…"

"I-I'm going to turn this off. Last time we kept a computer on during a storm it completely shut off," Hinata said shutting down the machine. She joined her friend by the window.

"You know what I just noticed?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence between the two. The other shook her head. "There is **a lot** of water on the ground." Sure enough, there was. They may have been on the second floor, but if the water level was about to completely swallow the bushes in their garden, there was a serious water issue happening. "How am I ever going to get home…"

That was it. That last comment had done it. The Hyuuga could no longer hide her fidgetiness any longer. Well, more then normal anyway. "Um…t-there isn't **t-that** much rain. Y-you're over doing it j-just a bit."

"No. You're underestimating that. Look! There must be at least a foot. I could swim home, if it wasn't October and if it wasn't thunderstorm-ing," she spoke sarcastically, "I can't step outside like that."

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" Hinata asked quietly, then instantly regretting so.

She met emerald eyes, the owner with her best smile plastered on. "Can I **please** stay over? I mean…it's Friday and…"

It was that point where the other wasn't listening. No, staying over wasn't the greatest idea, nor would it please her cousin or her father in any way. Then again, she wasn't the type to throw someone out and say swim home, especially to a friend. She really needed some confidence for her birthday.

"…so you see how in need I am at this point so please?" she clapped her hands together, hoping that her minute-long rant convinced her."

"Uh…" words and Hinata never mixed very well together. "I…" and she saw the pleading look in her friend's eyes. Oh hell, she needed to learn to say no once in awhile. "I'll go talk to my father." Sakura almost squealed in delight, as she watched the silent female exit the room, and continue down the hall.

* * *

If there were a top ten list of what she hated, this would be ranked up there with words. He may have been her father, but he could also be one of the scariest people alive. Funny how she found the genes were passed the wrong way, and onto her cousin rather then she. But that wasn't scientifically possible…was it? Anyway, back to willing herself to push open a door.

"F…Father?" she reluctantly put her head through the door. He was sitting at the table, newspaper open. He looked up, with the pale eyes that the entire family possessed.

"Something troubling you?" he asked.

"Well…you see," can I just crawl into a hole and die, was more of the implication, "t-there's a-a bit of a p-problem with the weather…" she said quietly. He waited for her to continue, used to the fact that his eldest daughter was charisma-deprived. "There's a lot o-of water out…a-and there's a lot of lightning. A-and I still have a friend over. A-and what I'm trying t-to say is that…shereallyneedstostayoverbecauseshecan'tgethome." Well at least it had come out. Not exactly understandable, but out.

Her father sighed, getting what she'd just said. "Hinata," he started calmly, "you know we can't have that. You know better then to ask me that." His eyes were closed, arms folded, as if contemplating a tough situation.

"B-but Father! You've s-seen outside…how…how…" she sighed, trying to force more words out.

"How **can** we send her home, is what she wants to say," Neji said, having heard the whole conversation, and decided to make an entrance. "She'll find it rather suspicious if we say she can't stay and has to find a way home in this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if she's even remotely curious why it's an issue to stay until 8. In case you haven't noticed, it's rather early."

"Neji, if I want your impute I'll ask for it," his uncle replied curtly.

The two didn't speak for a moment. "I'm sorry, please forgive me, Hiashi-sama. I won't speak out of turn again." Then he leaned against a wall and sat down.

"N-Neji nii-san is right, though. I-I'd be a bit suspicious too, if I w-was in her position," Hinata said to her father.

Now what could he do? Hiashi rubbed his temples, deciding upon the situation. "Alright," he gave way, "but I expect no slip ups from you two. Do what you must, but she must not know, is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" they both bowed, and turned to leave. The Hyuuga siblings nodded to one another, both knowing exactly what had to be done, and parted their separate ways.

When Hinata returned, Sakura was still working on the project. "Ah, Hinata-chan! So I can stay right?"

"Uh…yeah," she replied with an uneasy smile.

"Hinata-chan, are you okay? You look paler then normal," the other asked worriedly.

"Um, I feel kind of sick. I-I know it's early, but I think I need to sleep," she said, sitting on her bed. "I'm sorry to skip out about this, Sakura-chan."

"No, no! I completely understand!"

In the next ten minutes, Hinata had unrolled a futon from the closet, which would serve as Sakura's bed, (since she insisted Hinata use the mattress because of her sickness). She'd handed Sakura an oversized T-shirt and sweats, since she highly doubted her friend would want to sleep in the school's uniform.

"S-so you realize if you need anything j-just help yourself," Hinata said, once out of her bathroom, changed in her nightclothes. Sakura nodded.

"I'm going to work on the project a little bit longer, so I'm going to keep the light on."

"O-okay, goodnight then."

"Yeah, you feel better, hear me?" the blue haired teen nodded, and threw the covers over herself, and her head facing the wall. Sakura gazed at the clock on the wall: 8:15. Sighing, Sakura picked up the phone on Hinata's desk and dialed home. She explained to her mom the dilemma, which her mom totally understood since this place had a lot of flash floods…apparently.

So around a half an hour later, their project was all finished, Hinata still quietly sleeping, and Sakura now completely bored out of her tree. She went into the bathroom, and slipped on the borrowed clothes, and fixed her hair into a messy bun using on of the elastics lying on the counter. She sighed looking into the mirror. "Wanna do something?" she asked it. The reflection mimicked her. "I take it as a yes then. Alright, let's play," she told it cheerfully. She made a fist, "Rock, paper, scissors." A pair of scissors showed in the mirror. "Rock, paper, scissors."

This went on for some time until Sakura finally gave up, since her reflection was stalemating her every move. Then again, she'd be written off as retarded for trying something so stupid. Stepping back out of the washroom, she silently exited the room, into the illuminated hallway. There was no one moving around. It felt rather eerie; to walk alone in a big house, and know that no one was there. It was like something out of a horror movie minus the music saying "the psychopath is coming to get you!"

She was in the main foyer, the marble floor cold even through her knee-high socks she was still wearing. Now she needed a conversation piece, and no, her inner self wouldn't do. Simply because she'd bring up some embarrassing situation and then she'd blush like crazy and that's when someone popped up asking why.

So she sat on the spiral staircase, waiting. Just waiting…for something, anything! But not the shiver that ran down her spine. The usual feeling she got when someone was watching her. That was the horror movie part saying: 'the camera person can see you but you don't know where he is! Bwahahahaha!'.

Her green eyes looked left, right, back, up…even down to check if someone was peering through the floors. At this point she was just paranoid if she looked below. But in all seriousness, she didn't see anyone. Maybe it was just being in the big house, remotely alone that gave her the creeps.

Alright, so now what was there to do? Punch something? No, breaking others' properties wasn't exactly a good thing. How about talk to her reflection in the marble. No, if someone were to come down she might get kicked out for being an idiot. How about run around the staircase until she was dizzy. No, again, it'd look like she was an idiot. How about sit there and be bored? Yes, that sounded like a plan.

Weren't sleepovers supposed to be fun? With stories…and popcorn? Speaking of which, her stomach growled. Sakura always needed a snack before attempting to sleep, most days. So then came the mission of finding the kitchen. Hey, Hinata had said to 'help herself' right?

So what seemed like three years later (but Sakura assumed it was just a bit less then that), she found double doors, that she'd recognized from when Naruto had dragged her down there once, insisting she help him search the place for ramen.

The countertops were spotless, courtesy of the staff, which were also no where to be found. On it were the small appliances, toaster-oven, blender, kettle, microwave…she'd just step away from that one now. Moving onto the cupboards, if she recalled correctly, the glasses were…here. She pulled one out. Now wandering to the fridge, she was in awe at how many buttons there were on it. It looked like the microwave keypad…better not touch them then. Opening the door, the frigid air blew upon her figure. She pulled out the first liquid, which happened to be water, and filled the glass.

Replacing the container inside the fridge, she drank her drink slowly. The lights flickered slightly. Oh great, she was inside the kitchen, there was about to be a blackout, then she'd be stuck there until she could find her way again.

The lights were flickering more frequently now, almost with every clap of thunder. She was getting edgier now, turning towards the counter and rested her cup upon it. 'It's okay, it's just a storm. No one's going to waltz in here with a knife and stab you and our blood will run through the cracks in the floor and soak…bad topic to start thinking about.'

That feeling of uneasiness returned. Someone **was** for sure watching her, no, more like behind her. Sakura tensed up, not daring to move, as the sound of soft breathing continued. 'Oh. My. God. I'm. Going. To. Die.'

The hand on her shoulder was what pushed her slightly over the edge. "Kyaaa!" she screamed, and instantly covered her mouth and tried to calm the racing heartbeat inside her chest.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" a familiar voice asked.

"Neji-kun! That's been the second time you've scared me half to death. Now I've used up another one of my 11 lives," she breathed a sigh of relief.

The Hyuuga decided not to question the '11 lives' thing. "Sakura, you really shouldn't be wandering around here you know. It's already 9:30."

"Really? I've been wandering for an hour?" she didn't get a response back. "Anyway, I was thirsty, and Hinata told me I could take anything I wanted. So here I am."

The grip on her shoulder tightened. "Don't turn around," he warned. He could see her confused look, even not facing her. "Trust me. Just don't."

"Neji-kun, you guys have been acting weird lately. Is there something—" the lights flickered again, and then completely shut. The room was engulfed in darkness. Sakura placed her hand over his, since she couldn't see anything as it was, and it simply was something to cling to. "Oh. My. God. I'm. Going. To. Die." She said out loud this time, and using his hand, located the arm and clung to it.

"…No you aren't," he said plainly. At least she couldn't see in the darkness.

"Yes…yes I am. Someone save me…" she said, not letting go. At least it wasn't Sasuke, who'd tell her to bug off and cling to someone else.

A hand patted her head, "It's alright, _little_ _girl_. No monster is going to eat you."

"That **isn't** funny, Neji," she cut out the honorific this time around, "I-I'm just scared of lightning, is that a crime?" Another clap of thunder, this one being unusually loud, to send Sakura jumping in surprise, knocking them both to the floor. "Oops…" she said blindly, feeling around for where her clinging toy was. She didn't need to fumble too much, since the lights flickered on again.

The light blinded them both temporarily again. Neji recovered first, still sitting on the floor. Oh crap…

"Neji-kun, I'm sorry, you alright?" she asked, and it was her turn to place a hand upon his shoulder.

He flinched at her touch, hiding his face from the light, "Sakura, leave me alone."

"Eh?" it hadn't sunk properly. He really was acting strange. "What's the matter with you suddenly?"

"Didn't you hear me? Leave. Me. Alone." His words were harsher this time around. But the hand didn't budge from it's place. "Are you deaf? Why won't you leave?" Shakily, Sakura retracted her hand, and placed it over her mouth. "What?" he asked, looking into her eyes. Wait…her eyes? Double crap.

She forced the temporarily lost voice back into her throat. "Y…you…you're eyes…they…they…" it was something she'd never seen before. It was so…surreal to be true. Could this possibly be…an advanced bloodline?

His normal cross expression was nothing compared to this. His eyebrows tilted as far down as they'd go, making the eyes look much narrower. On either side of them, the veins were sticking out, like some horrible adrenaline kick gone wrong. "What?" he snapped, which made him all the much scarier at the moment. "Scared, are you? Don't lie, it's clearly written all over you face. Well, what are you waiting for? Get going." Each sentence was laced with venom.

"N…Neji-kun…is that a-a bloodline?" she had calmed down a bit, but still not entirely sure how to handle the situation.

"Hn. What do you know about them? And not that it's referred to like that anymore. It's called a curse to society." She didn't say anything in reply. "Why are you still here? Can't you see this is not natural? Don't you hate it?"

It was scary to see Neji like this, truly it was. And she hadn't even known him that long either. "What makes you think I hate it? I was…just a little startled, that's all." Sakura pushed back loose strands of pink hair.

He turned his back towards her. "Because it's written off as a curse. Because society hates it," and he continued the last part quietly, "because my mom hated it…"

Sakura froze again. Now what was she supposed to say? "Imagine not knowing your father had a blood limit, and then the child too. What would you think if your small child had my eyes?" he continued his commentary, angrily spitting out the words.

"I…" she really hated these kinds of situations. Everyone seemed to have **something** wrong with their past, and they all **had** to go bring it up to her to make her feel ten times worse then she already did. "I'm not sure…"

"Growing up knowing that your parent left you because of the hideous way you looked. And it isn't just my side of the family either. Take a look around who lives here." Neji inhaled deeply, stopping his talking, for he'd said more than he wanted. "Whatever, just get lost."

Arms slid loosely around his torso, and he tensed at the contact. No one had dared try that with Hyuuga Neji before. "I don't exactly know what to say," she began softly in his ear, "I can't say I feel your pain, because really I probably have no idea how it feels. But…just because a few people hate it, doesn't mean others do as well. Seeing you back there first startled me, a-and I was scared." His eyes found the floor very interesting. "B-but underneath that bloodline-thing, you're still the same person I've known. So why would I give up on you?"

The thunder was suddenly quite calming. "Get off," he said monotone, pushing Sakura away. He got up from his position on the floor, and dusted off his clothes. He extended a hand to the rather hurt looking female. His eyes weren't on her though. "You coming? I don't have all day."

Sakura's mouth turned into a smile, as she used the hand to pick herself up, and follow him out the kitchen. She looked like a lost puppy following its master.

"It's called the Byakugan," he spoke after some time.

"Huh?"

"The eyes…it's called the Byakugan."

"Oh…I see."

Before she knew it, they were in front of Hinata's door. He rapped lightly on the wood. "Hinata-sama?"

There was a shuffling noise heard inside. "N…Neji nii-san? Is that you?"

"Of course it is…can't you see me?" he asked pushing open the door, Sakura quietly following. "Hinata-sama, you can get up now. She already knows."

And if it was a shock to see Neji's expression, Hinata's was a billion times freakier. The usual soft features were also frowning, eyes that looked almost ready to kill. Something that didn't fit her personality too well. She swung her feet off the bed and to the floor, and looked at the two. "I-I'm sorry you had to find out like this, Sakura-chan," she said quietly, "it's not something we like to t-tell people."

"Yeah, I got that part," she said, siting down on the futon and closing her eyes. This was probably all one big dream. She'd wake up and probably have to go take a nice cold shower until reality came back. No, this was reality. A scary reality that she just couldn't see. "It must be terribly hard, for people like you."

"M-maybe more then you know…" the Hyuuga female said quietly.

"Oh no. Everyone knows pain of some sort. No one lives a life that's all fun and games. Even the people who you never see frown. I often thought about how worthless I was." The two siblings gazed through the Byakugan towards her, since it was a new side to Sakura they'd never seen. "In middle school I had zero self-esteem. I was such the biggest wannabe you'd ever seen."

"_Hey, it's Haruno. Look at her, she thinks she's so great, with that pink hair of hers. God she pisses me off," a girl spoke to her friends in the hallway._

"_You're telling me? Not to mention that forehead. U-g-l-y! The least she could do is cover the damn thing!" another agreed._

"_Oh Sakura-chan!" the third called out to her, drawing the shy girl's attention, "is it just me or do you look more unhappy than usual? Don't tell me your forehead swelled to the size of a watermelon again!" The three 13 year-old girls laughed._

_Sakura swallowed hard, and turn away, walking as fast as she could down the hall. But that was normal. Everyday she'd come to school, get teased, go home, and then the cycle would repeat all over again. And just when she thought changing a new school would be a good idea for her, the 3 people she loathed the most did too. It was a conspiracy… _

_The teachers didn't even bother to call her name during attendance anymore. She was the only person with hair that stood out so much. Just push her into a crowed and you could automatically tell her apart. This treatment was getting old. It was only a matter of time now until she snapped._

"_I wonder what Haruno would look like with black hair…" one of the boys' mused to his friend. Great, it was even catching on the guys now. It was always: pink hair this, big forehead that. Shy girl this, bully-magnet that. So it was nearing the day, when small Sakura would snap._

_After school one day, she'd gone into the drug store and pulled a bunch of things from the shelves into a shopping basket. Tomorrow, she'd show **them** what Haruno Sakura was really made off._

_The next day, her mom stopped her from leaving. "Sakura, honey, what on earth are you wearing?"_

"_It's Halloween, Mom," she said and left._

_It was nearing the end of October, and a new student was always a strange sight to see. Her long, jet-black hair was tied high on her head, swinging back and forth as she walked. The school uniform was mandatory, but there wasn't anything about wearing red and black striped socks now, was there? Not to mention her eyes stood out, with all that red eye shadow. And had anyone seen that much metal jewelry in their life?_

"_Outa my way, idiot," the new kid pushed a girl to the side._

"_I-I'm terribly sorry," the other said, frightened. Served her damn right too._

"_You'd better be, bitch!"_

_It wasn't until class when things started to get weird. "Haruno?" the teacher called, looking for that absent head of pink hair._

"_Are you blind, Sensei?" a girl at the back of the class asked, her green eyes raging menacingly. "I'm here, or maybe I just look different."_

_Sure enough, the new kid wasn't really that new at all. It was shy-girl-Sakura, dressed like a punk. A punk with a bad attitude. _

"_Uh…I'm sorry, Haruno," the teacher said passively, and continued the attendance while the rest of the class murmured things about her new look. _

"_Shut up! The lot of ya!" she spat, with bad grammar. This sure wasn't Sakura, oh no. Maybe she had an evil twin…_

_After school, the raven headed girl slammed her locker shut, and proceeded down the hall. "Hey, wait a second, Sakura…chan," the three girls ran up to her. "About this morning, we forgive you. Why don't you hang with us tomorrow? We'll over look that you—" _

_A slap to her face had rendered her shocked, and the others to back away. "Like hell I would. Why should I hang with you lowlifes?" and took her leave. Little did she know, three other people were watching the scene._

_Outside the building, she sighed. Time to lose the attitude. It was getting rather annoying. Why did it come like this? Why did she have to act like a delinquent just to be noticed in a semi-good way. "Hey, punk!" a voice called out. Looking around, there were students her age, three of them. The blond girl had called out._

"_What?" Sakura snapped._

_She walked over, arms folded across her chest. She'd never seen this girl before, despite they went to the same school. "No need to get fresh with me, punk. I've just never seen anyone quite like you before." _

"_So?"_

"_So nothing. No need to be uptight, punk, I just wanted to talk."_

"_Humph. Well that's a first. Aren't you scared of me?"_

_Now that was a first, the blond was actually laughing at her. "Like I'd be scared of a punk like you. You wouldn't stand 5 seconds against me," she challenged grabbing a handful of raven hair, decreasing the space between them._

"_Hey, hey, nee-san," one of the others spoke, "don't get into a pointless fight." The other observed silently._

"_It's not pointless if she want to…hey! Hey! What are you doing?" the blond asked uncomfortably, as the girl in front of her began to sniffle, and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "What kind of punk are you that cries?" she asked a bit nicer this time._

"_The kind that isn't," the other said truthfully, "I hate pretending like this. It's so stupid." And then she let tears silently fall down her cheeks. Just showed more people how weak she was._

"_Temari," the silent redhead spoke, "let her go." She obeyed his order, and backed away. "You," he said putting his head at her level, "what's your name?"_

"_It's…Sakura."_

"_I see," was all he said in reply, "Temari, Kankuro, let's go."_

"_But Gaara! You can't be serious. You want to just—"_

_He held up a hand and silenced Temari, "You," he said, once again referring to Sakura, "see you tomorrow morning. Be yourself." And he walked away, the other two giving her a final glance before following. So was the day she met her 3 best friends._

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that…no matter what problem you may have, or no matter if your situation seems rather hopeless, there's always someone willing to overlook it. Sure I was a bit shocked at your Byakugan, but it doesn't mean I don't like you guys any less." Explaining that story took a lot more effort than she'd have liked.

"S-Sakura-chan…"

"Ah, anyway, enough with this serious talk. I say we forget the whole thing and go to sleep," Sakura said lying down, not really caring what the siblings thought at this point.

"Sakura," it was Neji, who spoke before exiting his cousin's room, "thanks."

"Uh…sure?" she replied, but he was already gone. And when she turned to face Hinata, she was already out cold also. Maybe she really had been sick. Being the only logical thing left, Sakura turned off the desk lamp, and the room engulfed in darkness once again. But at least the thunder had subsided.

Sakura was already pacing the room when Hinata woke up. "Uh…sorry, Sakura-chan. You could have woken me up, you know." She was back to her normal passive expression.

"Nah, it's alright. I'm always up at this hour doing nothing."

"Um…about l-last night, can we…um…"

"Huh? Last night? What are you talking about, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked in an exaggerated tone. When her friend timidly smiled back, all she gave was a wink, and the two headed down to breakfast.

They'd gotten into conversation, (well, Sakura anyway) with Hiashi about the strangest of little things. Who said that the Hyuuga head was anything like the children? No one, well, it was weird where they got their personalities then.

"Hinata, you have practice this morning," her father reminded, and she nodded her head. "Neji, I want you to walk Sakura here home."

"Oh, no really that isn't—"

"Yes Sir," he agreed, without a choice.

After saying goodbye to everyone, the two walked silently on the path. "So everything's back to normal in the morning…"

"Yeah, it seems to appear an hour or two after the sun goes down, and goes away at dawn. We don't have much control over it," he said.

"I see, well, thanks…for walking me home and all."

"What time should I pick you up Monday?"

"Huh?" Sakura turned around before entering the gated property, "Neji-kun, I don't want you to feel like you owe me for keeping this secret of yours. It's no big deal."

He sighed impatiently, silver eyes fixed upon her, "What time?"

"I'm telling you. Don't think you owe me." She unlocked the gate and stopped again. "I'll be ready at 8. We can take the path to school," she winked, and skipped back into her house. She left him standing there, pondering one thought.

'She sure is one strange girl.'

* * *

**AN**: Wait, just one thing before I start these notes here: -insert loud and long scream- ok, I'm good now. Sorry, all the Sakura and Neji in this chapter made me sort of frustrated. It's not them separately, just together that drives me nuts. Haha, I even wrote it…

Anyway moving on, sorry this chapter took so long to write. I had like zero inspiration these past 2 weeks, and I've been working on another story that I'm going to post soon, eheheh…did anyone but me think I had a few Fruits Basket moments in here? I noticed that after I reread this a bit. Oh well.

Ah, 10 points to whoever thought the Byakugan would be coming up this chapter! And, I really think that **BBKarateGrl** should get an additional 10 points for her idea about the werewolves! That line made my day! XD I was very tempted to change it…but no! maybe my next fantasy fic (if I ever write one).

Omg! There was **no** Sasuke in this chapter! T.T I MUST make it next chapter…if I remember…but the horror! So starts a slights NejiSaku thing! (read the first sentence of my AN to find out what I think of that) anyway, did you notice, I put the Sand Sibs in…just cuz people were bugging me, and I felt like they needed to be included. God, long chapter. It's important to the story later on, but since it took me forever to write I hate to think it's a little too long…meh.

Nest chapter: Neji and Sakura actually walked to school together! Some people take that news better then others. And what's up with the edgy Tenten, and the over-jerky Sasuke? Plus a better outlook on what Shikamaru really sees Ino as…


	12. Jealousy is a Sin

**Disclaimer: **It's never going to change. I don't own any Naruto characters.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Jealousy is a Sin (But Malls Make it Better)**

It was a Monday morning, and winter was nearing faster then everyone had expected. No one milled around outside anymore, no, it was too cold for that. Instead, they all had to mill inside, causing a lot more noise, filling up the hallway. That was bad…very bad. Why?

Because they were all disturbing Uchiha Sasuke in reading his murder mystery John Grisham novel! Not that he actually listened to the conversations, but it just meant more girls swooning, while he was doing nothing. It was innerving, that's for sure.

"SASUKE!"

Not to mention that. That was the most annoying, a sound that the Uchiha couldn't ignore. It was so loud, and so persistent, and so Naruto! He tried to block out the sound, but it kept coming closer. He had a feeling it would've anyway.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" the blond pestered, practically dancing in front of his uncaring friend. "Sasuke! Hey! I'm talking here!"

"I realized that…" he said monotone.

"Pay attention! This is important!" when no response came, Naruto did the only thing he could do; whisk the novel right out of Sasuke's hands.

Dark eyes narrowed, "Make it fast, and it better be worth my time or else you're dead."

"Nothing but empty threats," the other said with a sigh, but got to the point when the infamous 'Uchiha-death-glare' remained plastered on. "Anyway, there is big news! Huge news! It's so big even Shikamaru knows!"

"And he probably got it from Ino, who knows everything about everyone, what's the point here?"

"Huge news, still though! It's as big as a house!"

Two words: blank stare. "A house?"

"Yes! As big as a house! Very big news! **Very** big news about Sakura-chan!"

Took long enough for him to spit it out. "Is this something I would care about? Because if not, I want the book back."

"Yes! It's interesting! It's **so** interesting, that I thought you should be the first to know!"

"How thoughtful of you…" Sasuke said, voice dripping in sarcasm. "Hurry up and say what you have to before Tsunade-sama will have to treat your broken bones again."

"Okay! Okay! Well…" he paused and inhaled deeply, "Sakura-chan and Neji **actually** walked to school **together**! I heard from Kiba, who heard from Shikamaru, who heard from Ino, who heard from a sophomore, who heard from a passerby!"

Okay, Naruto's life span was just shortened by…about 75 years. "Give the book back."

"What? Aren't you the least bit concerned?" Naruto's blue eyes were wide, like it was something totally frightening. "Don't you see? This is **big**! That guy has never shown any interaction with **anyone** of the opposite sex before…excluding his training partner solely for the purpose of training!"

"What's your point?"

"My point is, what if he decides to make a move on your woman?" there was a sharp pain to the blond haired boy's head, courtesy of ever-so-friendly Uchiha, who was now standing, novel in hand.

"My woman? I thought you were after her. And besides that, who do you think you're talking to, idiot. I swear if you talk to me again this week, I'll personally see that your guts will be in a bowl."

"Uh…s-s-sure thing…" Naruto said face down on the floor, still quite dizzy.

* * *

"Neji!" a feminine voice called out, making him and the other turn to see who it was. Tenten was walking briskly towards them, "Ah, Sakura-chan, you too, good morning!"

"'Morning, Tenten-chan," Sakura smiled back, distancing herself a bit more from the Hyuuga. There was something about the way Tenten was looking at them this morning…

"I hate to interrupt you two and your conversation, but Neji, you and I are supposed to meet Gai-sensei shortly."

"Yes, I know," he said monotone, and turned to his walking companion, "please excuse us, Sakura."

"Nah, it's fine. See you guys later in class!" she chirped, and headed towards the stairs.

"Neji, some time today would be nice!" the other female scolded, grabbing his hand, dragging him along.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit edgy today, Tenten."

"What makes you think that?" she said rather sharply…or sharper then usual. Yes, she was annoyed, but he decided not to question her further, and continued to be dragged to homeroom.

* * *

"And then? And then? Sakura-chan, you're leaving out details! I want to know everything! I won't tell anybody! I promise!" Naruto pleaded in homeroom class. Once again, their Sensei was already 15 minutes late.

"I'm telling you, nothing happened! We just met each other on the way to school, and then walked. It's that simple," Sakura reassured him. Was it a big deal to walk to school with someone these days?

"Okay, I know you'll tell me in due time anyway," the blond gave up, scratching the back of his head. "Neh, Sasuke! Can't you wring it out of her?"

But he wasn't listening. Waiting for Kakashi was a good time to read. "Oh leave him alone why don't you, Naruto. He's enjoying quality literature where people bathe in blood," the female said dryly, not liking the themes he constantly chose.

Naruto covered his mouth. "No way! Bathe in blood? There are actually places in that book to do that? Is it like a hot spring, except blood? Do they bathe separately? Are there sex scenes in it? Oh, if there are—"

He didn't have time to finish, when a fist came colliding with his head, for the second time the past hour. This time, courtesy of Sakura. "Bathe in blood? Like, mystery…like murder…get it, idiot?" she said through clenched teeth. That was never something she wanted to hear at school…what if a teacher came in?

"Moron…" Sasuke said, turning his attention to the front of the class, where the teacher walked in.

"Naruto, will you please take your seat so we can start the lesson?" Kakashi asked, not bothering to make an excuse this morning, since he'd get the usual chorus of "LIAR!"

"Yes, Sensei…" he said into the floor, and sat up, still wobbling.

"And now, I believe the student council held a meeting today. Ami, care to enlighten your classmates?" the silver haired teacher said, putting his feet upon his desk.

The auburn haired girl made her way to the front, clutching a tiny post-it note, skimmed it over, and crumpled it up. "Well, we didn't talk about much. But we did finalize the annual sports tournament. I believe it's being held in April at Ichiraku."

Naruto's face lit up, all dizziness forgotten. "Ah! Isn't that the place where it was held when we were freshman? That place was the best; it was owned by that major ramen chain!"

"Yup, that's the place," Ami smiled, "the sports they're hosting this year are: volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, swimming, tennis, badminton, and baseball. The same schools will be participating, with just another school joining...the Sand I think it was. That's all, Sensei." She sat down after that, with a flip of her hair.

Kakashi was now droning on about who-knows-what, and half the class was asleep. It was also the perfect opportunity to bother people. "Ah! That's my old school! I'll get to see my friends there!" she whispered happily to Sasuke.

"You have to make a team first, remember," he said, tuning out the teacher as usual.

"Oh, you just watch. I'll make a team…" she said, narrowing her eyes, "I'll have you know the tryouts for the team are today after school."

"How wonderfully exciting for you…" Sasuke replied, just wanting class to end.

"Humph! At least I'm trying! What about you?"

"Already on one. Since September, basketball," he gathered his things and walked out of the class, five minutes before the bell. Kakashi said nothing, it was usual to see that student skip. That boy had no patience. Sakura had never seen him do this though. He would get a piece of her mind this spare class…

* * *

"Eh…" the blonde female sighed, walking along side her lazy friend during their spare period, "I can't believe you convinced me to skip."

"It isn't skipping if you don't have class," Shikamaru replied, hands behind his head.

"But if we're going to the mall, that means I'll never make it back in time for next period!" Ino huffed, but continued down the path. The mall was in behind their school, but still. Mall and Ino said you had to spend over 2 hours there. "Whatever, as long as I make it back before tennis tryouts."

"You didn't have to come if you didn't want to. Your little Sasuke-kun has a spare now too," the boy remarked with a slight edge to his tone.

"No…I actually wanted to do something productive today," she said, "and just knowing Forehead-girl will be with him again makes me sick. So I decided to come along with you."

"I'm flattered," he said rolling his eyes. They were now inside the 2 level mall. It wasn't all that busy, since it was a Monday afternoon. "Go crazy," he sighed, and that was the signal that said 'drag-me-off-to-wherever-because-standing-here-gets-boring-and-I'm-used-to-this'. She took that chance and dragged him down to her favorite clothing store.

During these times, he'd wait on a bench outside, until she'd pop her head out the store and ask (more like command) how she looked, and if it fit…so on. And he'd always say the same thing: "It looks fine." She'd always huff about how he couldn't think of something more original to say. But however it happened it made her smile. And her happiness was really all that mattered, right?

But let's not get out of character here. If Ino wasn't happy at him, she was yelling at him. That could lead too much bigger issues, especially in a public setting. The chances that she'd stay happy with him the rest of the excursion, though, slim to none.

"Shikamaru," she whined, dragging him by the arm towards the food court, "I'm hungry!"

"Well that's probably because you skipped on lunch again."

"But I'm on a diet! Ah, and I spent all of my money at that place too…" then she put on the 'I'm-so-cute-so-can't-you-buy-me-something?' look, "anything you want this time!"

"Yeah," he replied without much choice, and went over to a stand. Even though Ino could be a stuck-up pretty girl, she had her nice sides. And being acquaintances for so long, she just sort of…grew on you. The kind of grow that meant he could understand her perfectly, but not the other way around. Ino, plain and simple in his mind, was dense.

But let's not think about that for the mean time. Right now that wasn't too much of an issue.

Ino looked at her watch. She was now officially playing hooky. What this boy could make her do…not much if she actually thought about it. As much as she hated to admit it, he was her closest friend. Maybe he thought differently, but he was always there. There to confine in, there to talk to…and especially there to tease. She could always get under his skin, much to her amusement.

The dark haired boy returned with a tray in his hands, two drinks and a plate of spring rolls sitting atop it. "I ain't that hungry, and you want to keep that stupid diet of yours, so I thought this'd be best," he sat down, and took one with a pair of chopsticks, dipping it in plum sauce.

The blonde did the same, minus the dip. "Shika, do you think I'm fat?" she finally said, blue eyes showing determination.

He looked up from his meal lazily, "Do I really need to answer that?"

"Please!" she said, "truthfully. I've never actually heard your opinion."

He set the wooden utensils down in front of him. "The truth? No, Ino, you aren't anywhere near that point. Anymore of this stupid diet and you'll turn anorexic. That's my opinion." He sipped the drink.

"Stupid?" she asked, rather loudly, "you're saying I'm stupid?"

He sighed, "No, I'm saying your antics are stupid. No one wants a stick for a companion. I can tell you now, your diet will cut your popularity."

He was taking a step in the wrong direction…a very dangerous direction. "Well, we'll see about that." Ino took the liberty of throwing the trash into the garbage can.

"You asked for my opinion, and I gave it to you. What more do you want—" there was a stinging pain in his left cheek.

"I want something that a true friend would say. I don't need you criticizing my habits, alright?" and before you could say 'diet', she was walking away.

This is why women were strange. They could go from happy, to whiny, to PMS-mode all in the span of 5 minutes. "You asked for my God-damn opinion!" he said furiously walking after her. "I can never please you, can I? I'm **always** doing something wrong, right?"

"Just forget it, Shikamaru." They both walked out of the mall and back on the path to the school. Ino had mental images who was going to be on those tennis balls she would be smacking. Ha! So much for the thought of best friend earlier. Boys were so damn frustrating! Always found ways to get you down.

Furious-mode wasn't exactly Shikamaru's type of thing, though. He let out a frustrated sigh, with it, most of the tension left his system. There was a point in time where he never used to listen to any of her snappy comments and just shrug it off. Then there was the point when he finally couldn't take much more of it, and started to fight back.

Not that he put too much effort in that either, since she still managed to come out on top. They fought like a married couple, and if no one could see that, then they were blind. Even so, there was always one phrase that Shikamaru could always come up with about the subject.

"Women sure are troublesome."

* * *

**AN: **…This chapter really looked so much better in my head, it really did.Not to mention it took forever to write, and still came out so short. Oh well, a filler, among sorts. The whole scene about the sports complex thing is actually (surprisingly) important for later chapters. Don't mind Naruto's rambling. That was actually taken from the dialogue from a drama class presentation my weird teacher came up with…

Most of the focus was actually on Shika and Ino. I needed a bit of a break with the whole NejiSaku thing, so I decided to write something else instead. I guarantee though, that it'll be back next chapter. Do I ever have a good chapter plan. Now hopefully it'll turn out that good in writing.

So, for next time: When Sakura and Neji go out on a friendly date, of sorts, there are 2 people who aren't exactly thrilled. And really, what's scarier then an annoyed Sasuke? Well and extremely ticked Tenten of course. And what better way to split the two apart, than combine both of their evil minds.That's a very scary thought...the alliance between the Uchiha and the girl with no last name.


	13. Sasuke and Tenten's Temporary Alliance

**Disclaimer:** Own no Naruto charries, simply the plot, as usual! 

**Chapter 13: Sasuke and Tenten's Temporary Alliance**

"See you tomorrow, Naruto!" waved the ever-so-cheerful Sakura, as she slammed her locker shut, and practically skipped down the stairs, into the front foyer, where she usually met the Hyuuga siblings in their normal walk home. Everything just fell into place that day. It was the ideal school day…or as ideal as they got. "Ah! Hinata-chan! Neji-kun!"

"S-Sakura-chan," Hinata acknowledged, and her cousin simply nodded, their usual responses. "Y-you're in a-a good mood, Sakura-chan," the usually silent one made some attempt at a conversation.

"Yes! Glad you noticed!" she replied brightly. Well, it was kind of hard **not** to notice. Who was ever happy on a school day? Sakura apparently, but aside that. She continued once they'd exited the premises. "I'm actually only really happy because I made the tennis team. I knew my weird sport would do me good later." She slipped gloves over her cold hands.

The winter break was nearing, and it seemed to be getting to everyone. More people started to procrastinate, which wasn't exactly the best of ideas, with exams only a couple of months away. But they'd worry about that when the time came.

"Hinata!" Kiba called, zipping up his jacket and running towards the threesome, "can I talk to you for a moment?" The girl nodded and joined him a few meters away.

Being silent was never something Sakura was too good at. "Did you get that lesson Asuma-sensei was teaching us in class? I mean, I think I understand it, but he explained it a bit weirdly."

Neji nodded, "Yes, I was somewhat confused at first too. Want me to explain it better later?"

"That would be great! Thanks a lot!"

He shrugged, "It's nothing. Let's say we make it Friday evening. About 5."

Her smile turned into a small frown. "You aren't still on about owing me, are you?" she waited for a response, which didn't come. "Listen, I don't know what's the big deal, but I don't want to go out if it counts as 'payback'."

He suppressed a sigh, "Fine. We'll go…" the next part was so un-Neji-like, "as friends, classmates more like."

There was that grin again, "Alright. 5, you're on. Fire Country."

Hinata came back, "S-sorry, Neji nii-san, S-Sakura-chan. I won't be available to train t-this F-Friday anymore. I-I have to help K-Kiba-kun a-and Naruto-kun with some homework. Sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it. We had plans then anyway," Sakura said all too casually.

The other nodded, eyeing her cousin and friend. They'd been doing a lot of things together lately, now that she thought about it. Something was odd between them, and she couldn't put her finger on it as of yet. A fleeting thought crossed her mind for a split second, which she dismissed as crazy. Were they…going out? Yes, that was the thought that made her want to crack up and just die laughing about. But that was very un-Hinata-like, so she refrained from doing so.

"Neji!" wow, after school was just bustling with commotion, wasn't it? Tenten jogged up to them rubbing her cold hands together. "Lee just asked if we were going to train with him on the usual day. What do you say?"

"Oh…listen, about that," Neji wanted to put it lightly. He'd never canceled plans with his training partner before. "I have plans this once. I'm afraid I can't make it. Will you inform Lee of this?"

The brown haired female looked slightly crestfallen. Then she put back up her smile, "I see. I guess I'll see you on the weekend then." She waved to the three who set on their way home.

When they were out of sight, she let out a deep sigh, seeing the white gas appear magically in front of her. That Hyuuga had been acting weird lately. He didn't seem as 'free' as he had a few months back. And she bet that a certain head of pink hair had something to do with that.

* * *

Friday came in a flash, which meant, unfortunately for Sasuke, work commenced again. Well, for a few hours anyhow. It got rather busy those evenings, but not with the usual young crowd that showed up on the weekends. This required a ton of patience. So as a result, the Uchiha boy used all of that virtue for his job, and therefore was left with none to deal with other people.

People such as Sakura, who oh so happened to walk into the café at that moment, accompanied by his martial arts rival, Hyuuga Neji. Surprisingly, they were together, which was something he never thought he'd see. They sat down at a window booth, and began to talk about something.

With a quick run through his raven hair, Sasuke made his way towards them, abandoning his post at the bar. "Yo," he greeted monotonously.

"Good evening, Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted, while Neji simply nodded. "Let's start with our usual."

He nodded, and tuned on his heel back to the counter. He returned several minutes later with the shakes, and took down what they'd have for dinner. Then back off they were to their previous conversation. Sasuke put the order sheet on a spinning rack, with similar papers already attached. Then it was back to patrolling the counter area once again.

It was somewhere around that time when another familiar face entered, lone this time, and took a seat at the counter. It was someone who he never really interacted with, unless for class reasons. "Yo."

"Hey," Tenten replied coolly, folding her arms on the tabletop, "can I just have a strawberry one?"

"Aa." She eyed him place all the ingredients into a blender that resided on the opposite side of the bar. She was completely out of, and didn't even notice when he placed it in front of her. "Hey, you're spacing," he remarked blankly, "you waiting for someone?"

"No…well, yes, I am," she replied.

"Okay."

An hour later, and things were getting busy. Neji and Sakura were still there, engrossed in whatever they were talking about. Tenten still sat alone at the counter, and Sasuke thought he'd go knock some sense into the girl by now. She was annoying him.

"I hate to say, but whoever you're meeting doesn't look like they're coming," he said, resting one hand on the wooded top. She had that abnormal spacey look in her eyes. "Are you even listening?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes…" she rubbed her eyes, feeling all down like this wasn't her.

This spacey-ness was getting on his nerves, "Does whoever you're waiting for know to meet you here?" No response. "Who **are** you meeting anyway?" he asked getting straight to the point.

When no answer came once again, he mentally called himself an idiot for even bothering to help in such a trivial matter. "I guess you could say he doesn't know," she said once his back was turned, "because I'm waiting for you."

Sasuke turned back around, using the most quizzical expression he could muster, which looked like more of a glare then anything. "Me? I don't remember even talking to you lately."

Snapping out of her trance, the usual girl came back around. "No, but you were expected to know." The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, still completely lost. "I'll get to the point. It's about them."

"Them?"

"Don't play stupid, you moron," she barked daringly, speaking at Uchiha boy in such a manner, "I mean **them**." And she pointed towards the couple near the window (who astoundingly hadn't taken a notice to her yet). Black eyes gazed to the two, then back at the infuriated woman, still not entirely getting where this was going. "Doesn't it make you sick?"

Oh, so that was it. "What they do in their spare time is of no concern to me. You should worry over it either. Now if you'll excuse me." He went over to a middle-aged man, and refilled his beer with one of the taps. In exchange, he was handed a coin, which he pocketed.

"Oh, it'll concern me if I want it too. Just look at them! I've never seen Neji talk so much in all his life. I swear it's unhealthy."

"Just let it go," he said, taking a few more empty glasses, and refilling them.

"I won't. Aren't you even the least bit concerned for Sakura as well? Isn't she close?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Only in her mind."

Tenten continued regardless, "Well I still don't like it. Before you know it, we're going to have a relationship on our hands. I won't have that with Neji there." Then she stopped to collect her thoughts. She was jealous of pinky over there? How sad… "I've got an idea, and you're going to help me. If it works, we should have the two back to normal in no time at all."

"Hn. What makes you think **I** want any part of this?"

An idea crossed her mind. "Don't help me and the whole school finds out who your grade 5 crush was." Oh, she had an evil mind. The chocolate eyed girl looked on teasingly, as looks of horror crossed the Uchiha's face.

"You…wouldn't dare…"

"Watch me." There was a staring contest for awhile, and then she extended her hand.

Sasuke eyed it, as if it was a deadly snake for a moment, then shook it. Good, now, the fun began. Operation: Separate Hyuuga Neji and Haruno Sakura.

* * *

A pair of dark heads and 4 dark eyes peered over some bushes that Saturday afternoon. One was black, the other was brown. They were in the park, eyeing a couple stroll slowly down the path. Nothing special was happening between them. They looked like ordinary friends conversing about old times.

"This is so stupid…" commented Sasuke, boring holes through their backs, "they aren't even doing anything. Why'd you drag me out here anyway?"

Tenten scowled, "I don't trust him. He's different then normal."

_"Uh…Tenten, we need to talk," Neji said that Saturday morning._

"_Yeah, about what?" she questioned, though knew exactly what was coming. _

"_You should really take a break from all this training. Gai-sensei thinks so too. Take this weekend off," he stated bluntly._

"_Oh…okay, I get it. I had plans anyway. Thanks, Neji." And with that she left his house, in attempt to find Sasuke and threaten him. Like hell Gai-sensei told him that. All just a damn cover up…_

"Yeah, only because he's with a girl. You get worked up over the smallest things with this bastard."

"It's the principal of the thing," she retorted, and crawled along the ground, trailing behind them. "Get moving, slow poke, or they get to be the first ones in on our secret."

Glaring daggers at the evil-minded girl, he trailed slowly behind. "So what exactly is your brilliant plan to ruin their…conversation." Sheesh, was his pride really valued this much?

"Um…well…the thinking part actually comes now," she grinned sheepishly, and snickered at his annoyed face, "well what can we use with our resources…?" Looking around, there was a rock…yes, rock would do. Hit them hard enough and it'll render one unconscious. But that would solve much…

There was a stick, a tree, another tree, more trees, more sticks, a ton of rocks…and a cat. Hold on…a cat? "Ah ha! I have the idea! Grab the cat!"

"What? Why?" Sasuke scowled at someone else (other then a teacher) give him orders. Then Tenten gave her 'don't-question-me-just-pick-the-damn-thing-up' look. Sighing, he reached for the black and gray fluffy creature. It struggled at first, and relaxed in his grip as he stoked its back gently.

"I have the greatest idea! Cats like to chase after things! We'll throw a stick, and then it'll chase after it, landing right before the two. Sakura will be so scared that she'll scream and jump into his highness's arms. That'll totally turn him off of her. Don't you see? It's the master plan!" then she started to chuckle to herself, imagining it in her head.

Some master plan that was, was what ran through Sasuke's mind. But if there was ever one thing that he'd ever learned from that lazy ass Shikamaru, it was that women were freaky when they didn't get their way, so it was just best to shut up, and go along with it. "Sure."

"Alright, I'm counting on you kitty," she whispered, and attracted its attention to a stick. Their targets were now sitting on a bench. Perfect, they weren't moving. The cat's yellow and black eyes went back and forth with the swing of the stick. "Go fetch!"

With precise aim, it landed right at Sakura's feet, but she took no notice. The cat leapt out of the Uchiha boy's arms and dashed after its desired object. It skidded to a halt at the pink haired girl's feet. Green eyes stared down at it. "Ah!"

Sasuke was actually surprised she had screamed. He always had thought she was some sort of animal lover. The female on his right seemed to be enjoying it though.

"What a cute kitty!" Sakura continued.

So he had been right, she **was** an animal lover. The female on his right didn't seem to be enjoying herself anymore though.

"Neh, isn't it cute, Neji-kun?" she asked, petting the glossy fur down and listened to it purr.

"Sure," was the Hyuuga's reply.

While all this was happening, Tenten got a funny feeling. "Uh…oh…"

"What is it now, other then your plan miserably failed?"

Her eyes started to water, "I'm allergic to cats…" Sasuke's eyes widened, oh crap! "Ah…ah…" He pushed her head down out of sight. "Achoo!" The bushes moved slightly, and they both waited, praying that they hadn't noticed the noise.

Neji looked up and at the spot he thought he'd heard a sound. "Something wrong, Neji-kun?" Sakura asked.

"No…nothing," it was probably a bird or something.

"We still going? We'll miss that movie if we don't hurry." The other nodded and they both got up and left.

Once out of earshot, Sasuke got up and brushed the leaves from his raven hair. "Good going genius. That went well. I'll do this again for you, but this time, we're doing it **my** way." He picked up the still sneezing girl, "Get up, let's go."

* * *

"Isn't this like something out of a stupid comic book?" Tenten asked, as the two stood in the corner of the crowded theater, "and you're sure they picked this movie, right?"

"Of course," he said, clutching a bag of popcorn, "and why is it out of a comic? I wouldn't know. I don't read that crappy comedy shit. At least they had taste and picked a horror movie to watch."

"More importantly," she interrupted, "how are we going to do this without being noticed?"

"You aren't that stupid, figure it out. I have a hat, so I'm fine. You…uh…tie your hair in one bun, instead of two." While she was doing so, he continued, "all we have to make sure is that we sit behind them, and it'll all work out from there. The theater is crowded enough so they won't be able to change seats."

"Sure…but he'll still recognize me. Isn't there something else I can wear?"

Sasuke fumbled through his pockets, and pulled out a really big and ancient-looking pair of glasses. He shoved them into her hands. "Uchiha Sasuke! Where did you get these?" she demanded, now sounding an awful lot like Sakura. He didn't answer her. "Don't tell me you swiped them off an old woman as we entered the theaters!" Again, no reply. "That's wrong!"

"They won't be so missed. They're outdated and ugly anyway," he shrugged off his crime, "just put them on."

Sighing, the brunette popped the lenses out of the big frame, letting the thick glass hit the floor, but not shattering. Not like the old lady would be getting these back anyway. "Here they come…" she said, and they were both like statues in the corner, and the couple took no notice of them. "Let's go."

Neji and Sakura had sat somewhere near the middle of the theater, which made it easy for the two 'stalkers' to sit behind them. Of course, the theater **was** crowded, so Sasuke had to use forceful tactics (the Uchiha death glare) to move a middle aged teen from his seat, so they could be seated directly behind them.

The stage was set, as the lights dimmed, and the commercials started to roll. Sasuke placed the popcorn on the floor, and placed the cap over his eyes. Tenten put on the glasses. "I still don't get it," she whispered.

"Take the gum from your mouth and place it on the armrest in between them," he ordered and got a quizzical look back, "just do it without them knowing." She followed his plan anyway, and he did the same. "Who'd try and hold hands if there was gum there? I'm not saying they will, but just to satisfy your paranoia."

"Genius, Sasuke."

"Shut up, no names here," he cautioned, "just follow your instincts for the rest of the plan. After this, I'm out of here. I can't take another day off work anyway."

The movie started to roll, and that's when Sakura noticed the gum. "Eww. My goodness, who'd leave gum in such a place? How inconsiderate!"

"Yes…" the other agreed, "but it can't be helped, the theater is full. Just don't touch it."

"Right…"

Well, plan one of Sasuke's had worked. She'd give him credit for that much. And he was already in role too, pretending to be sleeping. Well, time to put his plan into action.

"It even starts out scary…" whispered Sakura, as a shiver ran down her spine. No need to get scared, it was just a movie after all. She could just see that Uchiha make fun of her, commenting how much of a scardie-cat she was.

Sasuke held in a sneeze. Someone was gossiping about him. And if he ever found out, they'd pay dearly!

So the couple was contently (or somewhat) watching the horror flick, when something hit each of their heads. Neji chose to ignore it, but it made Sakura subconsciously touch the back of her head, and she felt another thing hit it. Popcorn? Looking behind her, there was a man, fast asleep. 'How could he sleep though such a loud movie?' she thought, and turned her head back to the other. It was a girl with big glasses.

She looked at her weirdly, "_Mãy nơi cái gí?_" the girl asked in a bitter tone. A foreigner? Or maybe she just used a different language when she was mad…or annoyed. She **was** sort of staring at her for no reason; she didn't have popcorn with her anyway.

"Something the matter, Sakura?" asked Neji, who noticed her confused look.

"Eh…nothing really…"

For the length of the movie, it seemed to be going in their favors: Sasuke and Tenten's anyway. They both seemed quite annoyed at whoever was throwing the popcorn, and whenever they turned around Sasuke would be 'sleeping' and Tenten would make her remark in Vietnamese, another language she was fluent in. No one ever thought about how the popcorn might be out of sight, hidden on the floor.

That is, until the really scary parts of the movie started to play. Such as one scene, when the suspenseful music started to play…and then in an instant the character had been stabbed. This was the part where half the theater screamed, including Sakura. She also seemed to forget about the gum, and reached over and clung to Neji's arm.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I just…well…"

"Scared?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" she retorted, and then blood shed on the screen, causing her to bury her face in his arm again. Her antics seemed to amuse the Hyuuga, though.

Oh, that hadn't pleased Tenten one single bit. She restrained herself from dumping the remaining contents of the popcorn bag on Neji's stupid head! That would be an instant give-away though. So it was back to popcorn flicking.

Sasuke observed her change in behavior, and knew she was going to do something she'd regret. "Hey, calm down, idiot. Either that or dump the damn thing on their heads and run."

"Thanks for the tip…" she said through clenched teeth. She needed to get a grip. Regular Tenten was rational, thought things through…well, regular Tenten didn't get jealous either.

"Oh my God!" Sakura shut her eyes again, not bearing to look at the gruesome pictures on the screen any longer. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. It made her feel somewhat better.

Too bad that was the last straw for the brunette watching them. This was making her sick. So sick it wasn't even worth throwing popcorn at them anymore. "You're free to go. See you at school," she spat out, and stormed out of the theater, not caring that people were complaining at her for blocking their views.

Sasuke sat there for a few moments longer. It was stupid of him to follow the two anyway. He didn't really care what happened to the both of them in any case. He in turn left the movie he'd only half been watching, hands stuffed in his pockets. What a stupid waste of a day.

* * *

No matter how anyone looked at it, things were changing bit by bit. And by all means, it wasn't only the weather. Now nearing the Christmas holidays, everything seemed to move by in a blur. Teachers were all stressing about exams, and college courses, and so on. Even work was becoming more hectic for the Uchiha.

He sat in front of his locker that spare, like he spent most of them now. It seemed still strange, that no head of pink hair was ever around to bother him. The Hyuuga also had a spare, and it was obvious that she'd taken a great liking to him. Still, it was almost too quiet without her.

But like he'd admit that aloud.

After his and Tenten's failed attempt to separate them a week ago, the brunette hadn't spoken to him since. It was weird, since she seemed to be changing too, but for the worst. Well, nothing he could do about that. Best to leave it.

Footsteps approached, and without thinking, he looked up. Now there was a familiar person…

"Uh…hi, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said nervously sitting next to him. He returned to his Hellsing comic. "Don't be like that, Sasuke-kun! I want to talk to you for a second."

Oh, what a shock there. "Don't you have your boyfriend to go bother?"

She blushed, "Neji-kun isn't my boyfriend! He's just…we…"

"I get it. Make it fast, Sakura."

She was a bit jumpy at his bark. Spending less and less time with him…she'd forgotten how cold he could get when he was annoyed. "W-well, the break is coming up, and I just wanted you to know that I won't be home. I'm going back to my old town to spend the break with my friends."

He didn't say anything and continued to flip the pages of his comic. The silence meant that she was expecting an answer though. "So? I don't care."

"Well I thought you would in case you were looking for me." He didn't even seem to be listening anymore. "Fine, sorry for wasting your precious time. I'll see you in class, Sasuke-kun." With that, she marched off.

Things were just going from bad to worse around here. He'd gotten involved with things he now wished he hadn't. Things by the names of Haruno and Sakura. Life was so much simpler without her. Yet, lately he'd been a bit more on edge, and he knew it too. It was like a rock at the pit of his stomach. It was a sickly feeling, a strange feeling.

"Shit!" he cussed frustrated, slamming his fist into a locker.

* * *

**AN: **Okay, is anyone else feeling sad that school's starting soon? (For us that live in Ontario, Canada anyway.) That's why this chapter comes out today, because I dread the fact that school's almost here. Funny, school's starting for me, yet they're going on winter break here! 

Anyway, a slightly longer chapter for you here, and a bit on the humorous side I'm hoping. I know Tenten's actually smarter and less touchy then she was in this chapter, but remember, she **is** jealous, so anything can happen. (By the way, cats actually do fetch. Mine does it all the time, such a smart kitty!) Also excuse my Vietnamese. My friend translated, and I sort of interpreted, so sorry if that didn't make too much sense.

You know, since people have been asking me for a long time to make more NejiTen moments, it sort of inspired me to write this really short one-shot (because I'm not at a NejiTen part in this fic for at least another 2 chapters) so if you get the chance, maybe you'll wanna check it out…haha!

Well I think that basically covers it, so for next time: After the long two-week break is nearly at its end, Sasuke and Sakura share a short moment, and there's something the pink haired teen doesn't quite understand. Afterwards, it's the first sleepover of the new year at Ino's place! It's a perfect time to spill juicy secrets about those they like. What does Sakura say? Forget that, what does Tenten say?


	14. The First Sleepover of the New Year

**Disclaimer: **(ok, I'm just going to start saying "standard").

* * *

**Chapter 14: The First Sleepover of the New Year**

It was an odd sort of first snow of the year that ever-so faithful January day. Hadn't school just started? Hadn't they just been counting down the days until it was winter break? Yes, indeed most had. Now, school would be starting again in a few days.

Sasuke walked along the road, listening to the snow churn under his feet. The snow was falling lightly, and some white flakes stayed in his dark hair, displaying them all the more. He was working again today. Usually he'd have taken his motorcycle, but upon discovering that it had been extremely cold last night, the whole thing was covered in a thin layer of ice. He hadn't had the patience to chip every single piece off, so decided to take a walking route instead.

Had he been in a better mood then we currently was in, he'd probably have turned at the second pair of footsteps heading towards him. "Sasuke-kun!" and then before he exactly knew what had hit him, he was face down in the snow, a rather heavy weight sitting on him. "Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Did you miss me?"

Sasuke shook the snow from his hair, and plastered on his very, very annoyed glare. Not that she could see it, as she was sitting on him. "Not the slightest," he replied coolly.

"Ah…that isn't very nice. At least seem somewhat happy I'm back safe and sound. Does the cool weather make you act cold as well?" Sakura had spoken without many breaks in between.

"Perhaps I'd be a bit _cheerier_ if you'd get off of me."

"Oops." She immediately jumped up, and brushed the snow from her clothes. Sasuke followed suit, and took a look at the girl he hadn't seen in a couple of weeks. She'd changed a bit. For one, her hair was now shorter then it was. "So did you miss me?"

"And what makes you think my answer is going to change?" though it was more of a statement then a question. Sakura looked at him with saddened eyes, which he didn't notice, since he wasn't looking at her anyway. "Don't you have you boyfriend to go see anyway?"

"Neji-kun…isn't my boyfriend! I thought we were over this. But yes, I was going to see him. I thought I'd be nice and say hello to you though. Sorry for bothering you." She walked briskly past him. Great, he was screwing up again.

She stopped walking, upon getting whacked with a snowball at the back of the head. Emerald eyes glared back to the Uchiha, as he threw another ball up and down. "Ever since you went out with the Hyuuga, you've been wound up. It's not right for you." He caught up to her, and cast aside the snowball, "I'll walk you halfway. I need to get to work anyway." She was shocked at first; was Sasuke really offering such a thing? Deciding not to argue, she followed silently.

"Uh…thanks, Sasuke-kun," she said quietly once they reached the entrance to the village.

He gazed at her through the corner of his onyx eyes, "Sure, now get out of here." He pushed her head in an **almost** playful manner. Then he disappeared.

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat and continued on her way. It wasn't that much further, thankfully. When she reached the gate, she saw a very familiar figure. "I…Ino!"

Her blond friend, who was bundled up as tightly as she was, smiled. "Hey, welcome back, Sakura. I wondered if you'd came back or not."

"Yeah…so what were you doing here anyway, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Nah, I just came over to talk to Hinata about a sleepover I'm having. She said she's busy though. But now that you're home, you can gladly come in her place."

"I feel so loved…" Sakura said dryly at being used as a replacement, "but sure, I'll come. When, where, and who?"

"Tomorrow, my place at 7. Who's coming? I guess whoever shows up…but really, you, me, and a few girls from school."

"Alright…I'll work it out somehow or another with my parents." She entered the gated property, "see you then, I suppose." They both bade farewell and parted. She knew, of course, the real reason why Hinata was busy (she'd experienced it with her own eyes). Bounding up the front steps and into the unlocked house, she removed her wet shoes and hung her coat. Now was the hard part; finding out where he exactly was in the house.

Luckily, she ran into one of the butlers, Walters. After being at the house on several occasions, she recognized some of the estate staff, and vice versa. "Welcome back, Mistress Sakura."

"Please, don't call me that, Walters-san. It makes me feel weird. Have you seen Neji-kun at all lately?"

"I believe the Young Master is in the lounge."

"Thanks," and then she ran off into the house. Sure enough, he was sitting on his favorite spot on the couch, some homework placed on the floor. He noticed her standing at the doorway, yet they both said nothing. Sakura just smiled, and waited for him to make the first move.

"Welcome home, Sakura."

* * *

Sakura had promised her mother she'd do her holidays' worth of homework all day tomorrow, because she wanted to meet her friends again. She'd finally persuaded her mom to let her go to Ino's place for the night. But since it was pretty far away, and the weather was rather cold to walk in, her mother reluctantly drove her.

"But didn't you have plenty of fun back home for vacation? Seeing Temari-san, and Gaara-kun and them?" her mother had asked on the way there.

"Sure I did. But I'm only a kid once, right? I can have fun still before the **real** work starts."

"You're hardly a kid anymore," commented her mother, as she watched her daughter step out of the car, and hop into the house.

Sakura was greeted by Ino's mother, who was closing up the family business, the flower shop. "Why hello, Sakura dear. Ino and her friends are already up in her room."

With a nod, the pink haired girl went up the stairs, and into the noisy room. She was greeted with a chorus of "Sakura-chan!" from most of them. There were about 6 of them, excluding her. And sitting in the corner, was none other then a girl with a head of buns.

"Hi guys," she responded cheerily, setting down her stuff, and joined in the conversation they were having. While doing so, she was thinking of something different. Wasn't Tenten usually the center of attention, or at least the one making all the conversation? Yet here she was sitting in a corner by herself.

Come to think of it, she'd been distancing herself a lot lately. Well, the last few weeks of school anyway. It was weird actually. She was especially cold towards certain people, and was often very snappy. Perhaps tonight she'd talk to her about it. She couldn't think about things any longer, as the bombardment with questions started. "So Sakura, where'd you go?"

"Who'd you see?"

"Was it warmer then here?" and so on.

Sakura held up her hands. "One at a time people! Okay, here's my two-week vacation cut into a few seconds. Went to see old friends who live south of here. Very nice seeing them, did stuff, blah, blah, blah. Yes, that's about it."

They all looked somewhat disappointed. "That's it? There must be something more! Like where'd you stay?"

"What are these friends like? Are they cooler then us?"

"Were any of them guys? Are they free?"

"Did you get laid?" everyone turned to the girl who had asked that. They all gave her a strange look. "What? It was an innocent question!" then they all ignored that.

"Chill! It isn't that exciting! I stayed with some family friends. But I usually slept over at my friends' homes."

They all continued chatting, while still in a corner, Tenten sat, holding a glass of ginger ale. She wasn't following the conversation at all. She was too busy thinking about other things. Everything was great those past two weeks. Mainly because there was no pink haired someone around. Yes, it was distressing her, this feeling of jealousy. Before that, they were becoming such good friends too. Wait a sec…she knew whose fault it really was! Yes, no doubt, it was **his**.

"Hey Ino!" a girl with dyed, bright, red hair called to her, "bring us something to do, eh? It's getting boring here. We need like…a good poker game."

"You and your cards, Mitchi," the blond sighed, and went to fetch a deck from her desk drawer. She tossed them to the girl, who caught them with ease, and immediately began shuffling them.

"You have a problem with that? Who's up for a game?"

Most people slowly agreed, seeing nothing better to do. Sakura and Ino eventually caved, but Tenten refused, saying that she was never any good at the game. "Draw poker, only one. Whoever has the best hand wins."

"We need a twist though! Like, what happens if you loose?" inquired a girl with light brown hair, Saki.

They all thought about it. "Okay," Ino smiled, "whoever looses tells everyone one thing about they like about their crush…or boyfriend." Hint, hint, and Sakura received a wink. Everyone shrugged, seeing how it was hardly a punishment, unless everyone managed to guess who it was, and then rub it in your face. Or something along those lines.

They were dealt their five cards. Sakura was in trouble already. There was nothing possible out of these cards. When it was her turn to draw, she kept the two best cards, and discarded the rest. The chances she got something high or even matching were slim…

However she'd done it, she'd managed to scrape up a two pair. Thankfully, it wasn't the lowest hand. It happened to be Mitchi. She sighed, "Well, this guy, he's the best guitar player ever!" Oh well, that only cut down about…1/2 the guesses possible.

As the rounds progressed, Sakura had found herself incredibly lucky. So far, they'd heard from everyone, some even more then once, except for her. But Lady Luck always moved on to another person after a long streak. Yes, when your high card was a jack, well, tough cookies there. "Ah ha! Sakura, your turn. Now, spill!"

All eyes upon her made Sakura quite uncomfortable. "Um…" what to say? And was she really going to talk about him? Wait…was there another person. "W-well…what I like best…I like their smile."

"Aww. That's so sweet!" gushed a girl called Lily.

"You're so lucky, Sakura-chan! Neji-kun is such a catch!" Ino chuckled.

"What? You and Neji are together?"

"Huh? I didn't know that!"

"No way! That's insane! So what's happened?"

"Spill **everything**!"

"Yes, Sakura-chan! What has happened?"

"You know, I heard that a weird psychic person once said that the first person he liked, he'd end up marrying!"

"Really? Now that's something…"

"Yes, can we start planing the invitations already?"

"Oh! I want to choose out the dresses! Invite me, won't you, Sakura?"

"And me!"

"And me! Don't forget me!"

"Can you imagine how Neji-kun would look in a tux? I'm drooling already."

"Guys, stop it! It's Sakura-chan's wedding after all! Let her decide!"

"Is there going to be good food there?"

They all stopped at that last comment, not only because it was a stupid question, but the sound of breaking glass had startled them. It had come from the corner where Tenten was sitting, her glass no longer in her hands. The liquid began to sink into the carpet. "Ah, shit. I'm sorry, Ino. I'll clean this up right away." She picked up the five big shards of glass, and hurried out of the room and into the kitchen.

"She's been wound pretty tight lately," Sakura remarked absentmindedly, gathering the discarded cards into a neat pile. The others began to giggle quietly. "What? I miss something funny?"

"I guess…"

"Well, she's still new, so she wouldn't have known…"

"Known what?"

"Why she's mad. She's mad because she lost."

"Lost **big** time."

"Huh? Lost what?"

"She lost to you, obviously. And she isn't the type to take loosing very well."

Sakura was dumbfounded. Lost to her? What kind of nonsense was that? "Lost to me?"

Everyone hushed again as the brown haired girl reentered the room with some paper towels, cleaning as much as the spill as possible. With a sigh, she whisked out again to throw the dirty cloths out. "Well, she has got the right to know," Ino said once she couldn't hear them. The others nodded, but it was Ino who was going to tell her. "Okay listen. Ever since…ever, Tenten has had this thing for Neji. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew it too, because everyone else sure did. Anyway, ever since you two started going out, she's been upset. You beat her to it in 10 times less time. I can see why she's stinking mad at you."

"Oh yes, definitely," a cold feminine voice spoke up from behind them. Tenten leaned against the wall, arms crossed with a scary sort of grin plastered on her face. "Congrats, Sakura-chan. You must really be something special, catching his attention so fast. Want to let me in on your secret?" They all looked at the ground; so she had heard the whole conversation the whole time. "What? Do you think I'm stupid? Think I'm oblivious to what's going on?"

"Wait a second…Tenten! It isn't her fault, okay? She didn't know about the "Hands Off" rule!" Mitchi said, defending the other.

"Wait, wait, Tenten-chan," Sakura held out her hands in defense, "you…everyone has the wrong idea here…"

"Wrong idea?" then she started to laugh…a very scary laugh at that, "you have to be kidding me! What's not to understand? Weren't the signs obvious enough for you? Don't women usually have intuition about these kind of things? What a joke. This is all a joke…"

Was this healthy for her friend to be acting in such a way? She watched her sink to the floor with a sigh. "Ten…ten. Please don't get me wrong. We aren't…he…" Sakura struggled for words, as she placed a hand on her shoulder. It was shaking. Was she…crying? "Tenten-chan…"

"Save it!" she snapped, tears threatening to leak out the corner of her eyes, "just…save it. I'm not in the mood now. Sorry that I yelled at you earlier. It's just…I'm just…so damn stupid." Sakura gave her a hug, which she reluctantly returned, now letting the salty liquid run down her face. This was big. Tenten never cried. "My mom once said, if a guy makes you cry, then he isn't worthy enough for you. I guess I should give up, huh?"

"No!" she protested just a bit to loud, startling everyone, "w-well, what I meant to say earlier was…well, Neji-kun and I, aren't really a couple. Sure we've been seeing each other a lot, and going places and such. But…we aren't boyfriend and girlfriend. I just want you to know that. He doesn't see me as that. It's…sort of complicated."

"Wow…" Tenten said, breaking free from the friendly embrace, "I really am an idiot, aren't I? Just a stupid, hung-up idiot." She rubbed the stains off her face, but her brown eyes were still a tinge red and puffy. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

Then the quiet bunch on the other side of the room instantly began to come alive again. "So…you aren't going out?" the other shook her head, "damn, oh well. It was cool while it lasted. But at least I can say now, I have seen macho-lady Tenten cry."

Her eye twitched, "Say a word about that and I'll send you through the roof. That goes for all of you." Yes, good old Tenten was back and ready to send someone flying, if her buttons were pressed. "Now," she said joining the circle, "I didn't get my share of sleepover fun yet. I say we continue the poker game. Chop, chop! Let's go!"

Everyone gathered around as Mitchi dealt the cards, and they proceeded from there. Ino served them all drinks, and they all crowded the tiny tray, taking one. "Just, no spilling anything else on my carpet, alright?"

It turns out that that hand, Tenten had lost, badly. "Well, what I like about this guy…is that he's of X and Y chromosomes." Everyone rolled their eyes, all thinking of the same old expression: No shit Sherlock. "Haha. I know, I know," she continued when receiving glares, "what I like about him, is that he's just so him." Again, that said much.

"And I'll leave it at that."

* * *

**AN: **Omg! I haven't updated in over 2 weeks! -starts crying- ah! I'm sorry! Don't hate me! Hate school, that's right! It's driving me insane…and it's only September! Let me enlighten you on something, for those of you who don't take Canadian history, which I'm assuming is most of you: **nothing happened**. Plain and simple. (Or maybe things did happen...just I'm not the hugest fan of history...as you can tell). I'm sooo not surviving this semester!

Ahem, now that I have finished my rant on why this chapter was so late…all I can say is this. It looked so much better in my head. But then again if I went over to re-write it, this update would have most likely taken me yet another 2 weeks. Such and evil, evil chapter this was to write. Anyway, Tenten was OOC, the fault on me, but she at least got her feelings across, no? which was the main point of the part. Hmm. This was quite a self-explanatory chapter. (On a random note here...I'm not quite sure what makes Tenten OOC anymore. Did anyone see ep 152? What was with that face she gave Tsunade? Funniest thing EVER!)

Hopefully next update won't take as long. You reviewers keep me going on working on this! (I sound like the Energizer Bunny…) So, up next: Who's been waiting for the "big breakup"? Neji and Sakura decide it's best if they drifted slightly more apart. She's cool with that…sort of. But then she finds comfort (in a way) in the least likely person. Time for Sasuke to voice his opinions!


	15. Crying Over Spilt Milk

**Disclaimer**: Standard

* * *

**Chapter 15: Crying Over Spilt Milk**

Damn. It was noon on that Sunday morning, err, afternoon and Sakura had just woken up. And she was extremely hungry too. She threw something on from the pile of clothes that seemed to build up in the corner of the room, and went downstairs after taking her daily medication. Her parents were both out, of course. Now, what was there to eat? She rummaged through the cupboards until she'd found a box of KD Mac and Cheese. She began to read the instructions; I'd been awhile since she'd made this stuff.

It read: Microwave Instructions.

Okay, next idea.

Luckily there were also stovetop instructions to follow that. Stoves were after all, much simpler then a microwave would ever be. By God, she was paranoid.

And to make matters worse, school would start tomorrow. Well, she liked school and all, just that she wasn't in the best of moods lately. The sleepover a few days past was still bothering her. The whole Tenten and Neji thing. Speaking of which, she hadn't spoken to him since she'd come home…

Maybe she'd walk over there today.

* * *

Turns out that he wasn't home anyhow. Hinata had told her that he was at practice. What was all this practice anyway? Martial arts of some sort, but it must have had some sort of twist. Or, at least whoever taught Sasuke and Naruto. They'd come to school sometimes with bandages all over them and write it off as "practice". 

If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she was going to be a doctor some day. Sakura always seemed to be treating injuries of some sort. Well, she wouldn't get into that with certain people around.

"Tell him I dropped by, will you?" Sakura asked Hinata on her way out, bundling up in her parka, and set out onto the snow-filled terrain. Darn, it was especially cold today. Not to get Sakura wrong, she loved the snow. But why did cold and snow have to go together? Couldn't it be like, nice and warm outside and then just when you'd get too hot, you could dunk your head in a pile of snow? That'd be great.

Reality sucks. Sakura wasn't too fond of this new attitude she was picking up. Couldn't things just go back to the way before any of this weird complicated love-triangle affair began? That's what was really the problem, right?

* * *

"Give us your strongest stuff, and make it snappy, boy," a middle aged man banged his hand on the table for emphasis. These types of people always made Sasuke frustrated. There was no question about it. But patience was a virtue…yes…patience… 

"Right," the Uchiha resisted the urge to roll his eyes and was ever so thankful to just be out of that area. On the bright side, only about 3 more hours left of work. If only he was 18 already. He'd be out of this hellhole and actually do something useful with his life. Like…

"Hey, kid! Bring us an order of fries will you?" another table called. He nodded and once again disappeared behind the kitchen doors.

"Old man, I'm taking five," Sasuke said not waiting for a response and heading towards his locker. Today he was unusually tense. It was like a feeling, even intuition, that something was going to happen. That something may or may not have been important, however.

He stepped outside for a moment. It was cold, just how he liked it. Cold was everything like him. It was like when the wind blew by, leaving its mark, yet always remained invisible. Yes, he always felt that wind. Cold and windy never went together, he'd say that much.

His watch beeped, marking the next hour, as well as his five-minute break was well over. Thankfully, school was close. Oh so close. That was good. He'd get some tranquility from this place that he'd spent every day for the past two weeks. But that also meant seeing everyone again. Especially her. He'd acted so strangely last time, and wasn't feeling the least bit better. She made him sick, honestly, she did.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" an extremely bubbly-acting Naruto ran up, opening his locker right beside hers. His hands were wrapped tightly in bandages, and had a cut on his face. "Long time no see, huh? I guess I'm kind of glad to be back." 

Sakura smiled, then her face turned hard, "Naruto, where'd you get those wounds?"

"These small things? I was in a competition over the break. Oh, you should have seen me Sakura-chan! I kicked some serious ass there! Listen, listen! It was the final round…and the crowd that was there hushed. It was amazing, Sakura-chan! And before they knew the match had started, the final punch had been thrown."

"And you lost instantly," a voice said, bursting the blonde's bubble. His blue eyes darted menacingly at the Uchiha prodigy, as he coolly dumped some books from his bag into his locker. "Don't sound so heroic, moron."

"Humph! Well I was second! Next time I'll definitely be first though. Just you watch!"

"Ah…hello, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said once they were done bickering. He made no reply in return. "Uh, well we'd better get to class then."

"There's no rush," Naruto said putting his hands behind his head, "Kakashi-sensei is always late."

"Well then I'm leaving," she said following the direction Sasuke had just departed.

Naruto sighed, catching up to the two of them. "Like I'll leave you guys alone **together**. We never know what you'll do." Surprisingly, they both made no comment about it, Sakura looking at the floor, Sasuke his head tilted slightly upwards. An awkward silence loomed over, neither one of them daring to break it. Was it simply because it was the first day back? No, it was something bigger. Even Naruto knew that much.

* * *

Period C, which happened to be right after lunch, also happened to be when Sakura and Sasuke and the rest of them had spares. Sakura, deciding not to bother Sasuke again, went off to find Neji. They needed to talk. She'd found him by his locker, sitting alone, reading over a textbook. They sat down and chatted for a moment, (she doing all the talking, of course). "Uh…there's also something I want to talk to you about. Not here, preferably." 

"Sure," the Hyuuga paused, "as do I."

"So how's tomorrow at Fire Country? I'd go today but there's an important tennis practice for the match next week." Neji nodded, and that was the end of their little conversation, as she waved goodbye, and headed back to her locker. No, wait, Sasuke would be there. And for some reason, she didn't feel too much like seeing him at the moment.

* * *

They'd entered together. Of course, how else would it have been? For some reason, it annoyed the hell out of him. Out of all possible places to go, it had to be here. God, it made him sick…for unknown reasons of course. No, he wasn't quite sure what this irritating feeling was that he swallowed as he prepared to greet them. 

To his luck, however, another coworker took the liberty and did his job for him. Great, now the only thing Sasuke was doing was avoiding. That wasn't how he worked, now was it? Uchihas weren't cowards. They were far from it. Yet they were also smart. They knew when it was best to stay away. There was a difference.

At the table, the two sat in uncomfortable silence. Sakura was preoccupied with her thoughts on the sleepover. _"Congrats, Sakura-chan. You must really be something special, catching his attention so fast. Want to let me in on your secret?"_ and _"Wrong idea? You have to be kidding me! What's not to understand? Weren't the signs obvious enough for you? Don't women usually have intuition about these kind of things? What a joke. This is all a joke…"_

Then she looked at Neji. He definitely didn't see much with her. Just a debt, or maybe a friendship even. But there was no intimacy between the two. She knew that everyone was starting to get the wrong idea. Hell, if Sasuke started to comment on it, then it was big.

She sighed. How was it she the one who had to start the talking? "Sakura?" she was actually surprised that he had been the first one to speak up. She looked up from her thoughts, and waited. "This has caused trouble for you."

Damn, was it that intuition from those eyes of his? That statement seemed as if he knew everything that was going on already. Either that or maybe she was just really stupid to think that no one noticed these types of things. "Well…"

"What you want to say is that seeing so much of each other is creating a big misunderstanding and you aren't too fond of this."

Maybe he should take up a psychic as a future career opportunity. "Well…yes, exactly," Sakura sighed once again, pushing some stray locks of pink hair from her face. They fell back instantly. The table plunged into silence again. "I'm sorry, it's just…I don't know. I'm not sure you appreciate the rumors going around either." He nodded in agreement.

Well, then that was that. "You know, even though this stirred up the attention of some people," not mentioning any names in her head, "I kind of enjoyed the time. Like, it was nice to find someone that seemed to understand me away from home. Maybe I denied it to people, but I guess the thought never crossed my mind that we were 'dating'. But, I did know, well, now I know anyway, that I really like you, Neji-kun."

He lifted his head so that the pale eyes were fixated on her. "Sakura…"

She continued as if never hearing him. "But I'm not right for you. I can already see it." Sakura lowered her voice and leaned into the table, "There'll be someone else who'll like you for who you are. Bloodline or not."

Neji placed one hand over both of hers. "Thanks. That means a lot, really."

She gave a small smile, "It was no big." Then she rose up from the table, "Well, I need to use the restroom and then I'll be on my way. Don't worry about walking me home," she said as his mouth opened, "I'm meeting someone later."

That went relatively painless, as she bent down to give him a peck on the cheek, and with out looking back raced into the ladies' room.

Well then, that left Neji alone sitting at the table. They hadn't ordered anything so he was about to go and leave, when someone else sat down in Sakura's previous spot. It was a female, her brown hair tied in a single bun, and she had on the brightest of smiles. "Well look who it is," she said.

"Tenten, how long have you been here?"

She bunched up her face into a childish pout. "What's your problem today? I just walked in two seconds ago." He gave her a suspicious look, which she ignored. "Well anyway, you waiting for someone?"

He was silent for a moment. "No…not really."

"Good then," Tenten said smiling and standing up, "I say what you need to let go of this stress is a good Lee-bashing. That always made you feel better." She took his hand and practically dragged him out of the café.

"You seem in an awfully good mood today, Tenten. Anything happen?" Neji asked as he let himself be pulled down the busy streets.

"No, why ever did you think such a thing?"

He gave up. Tenten was too stubborn for his liking. "No reason."

* * *

"_But, I did know, well, now I know anyway, that I really like you, Neji-kun."_ That line played over and over in her head as she looked at her face in the mirror of the restroom. Shaking her head of pink hair, she splashed the cold running water on her face. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. For gosh sakes, it wasn't as if they 'broke-up' or anything. 

Then why did it hurt?

"_Because you had feelings for him," _a nagging inner voice piped up. With that point, she didn't argue. It was probably true anyway. Her eyes stung with salt, yet she refused to cry over such a trivial matter. Well, that's what Sasuke would call it. Speaking of him, she wasn't really in the mood to talk to him. It was best just to leave now. Crap, her coat was still at her chair.

Walking out of the bathroom near the back of the café, it was only fate that she should run into him on his way out of the kitchen. Sakura really, really needed to stop bumping into him. "Watch it, klutz."

"Oh, sorry," she replied without a comeback, which he found unusual. She didn't move from her spot on the ground.

Sasuke sighed; this girl really was hopeless. It was a miracle she wasn't dead yet. He was about to brush off the whole situation and get up, when he felt something cold on his hand. It was cold as well as wet. His onyx eyes gazed to the woman sitting next to him, her face to the ground. She was…crying? He mentally cringed. Great. "Uh…hey, hey. What's the matter with you?"

"S-Sasuke-kun…" her voice quivered quietly. He was about to tell her to grow up and quit her complaining when out of nowhere she'd thrown her entire weight on him, her arms around his neck. "I'm so stupid!" she said into his shirt. "Tell me I'm stupid. Have your laugh!"

For anyone that walked into that hallway now, it would definitely be a strange sight. Two teens sitting in the middle of the floor, one completely drowning in sorrow, the other casually looking at the ceiling. "You are being stupid, Sakura," he said prying her loose, and lifting them both back onto their feet. He pulled them both to the back room where all the lockers were. The location was a bit more…private. "Crying doesn't suit you."

She sat silently now, with the occasional sharp inhale, the aftermath of her two-minute sob. "So what's wrong? If you aren't going to tell me then I'm going back," he said. When nothing more was said, he rose to his feet, only to be grabbed by the sleeve of his shirt.

Her green eyes still admired the ground, "I…we…"

"Broke up with you boyfriend?"

She winced at his words. Bingo. "You don't have to say it so bluntly…" she spoke softly.

"Well then what would you rather me say? 'I'm so sorry that you and that bastard were together in the first place but I'm still sad for you that you broke up'?" maybe that was another bad choice of words. He folded his arms, "Listen because I'm only saying this once. What in the world are you crying over? Wasn't it you that told me 'he wasn't your boyfriend'? It isn't the end of the damn world. It's not like you'll never see him again? Tell me, what are you crying over?"

Her bottom lip quivered. One thing was for sure, Sasuke wasn't a good source of comfort when in lousy moods. She jumped from her spot and attached herself to his neck for the second time in the past 10 minutes. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun. Thank you."

"For…" he was cut short when he felt her bring her lips to his cheek. What the hell?

"I guess I should be going now," Sakura sighed, releasing him, and turning to leave.

"Um…hey. I'll walk you." She gave him a questioning glance. "Going home by yourself in this state is like sending you to an early death. You'll end up getting hit by a bus, or something." Sasuke grabbed his coat.

She smiled at his kindness. Sasuke sure had been acting strange the past few months. Perhaps the change was for the good. Or maybe it was just the cold. Maybe Sasuke liked it when it was cold outside. It seemed to balance out.

* * *

**AN: **This chapter wasn't quite as evil to write as the last one was, but it was kind of on the short side. (Or maybe that's because the new story I'm working on averages about 9 pages…) But yes! I finally wrote the ending to the NejiSaku relationship! That took way too long. Anyway, I hope that wasn't to OOC from any of the characters. But then Sasuke has odd ways of making things better! 

Now…I really haven't done this before but I really felt like replying to a few of the reviews:  
**anime-obsessedP: **Yay! You were my 200th reviewer! You deserve a star! Like Watanuki from xxxHolic!  
**amwong88: **haha, don't worry. It takes more then that to make me mad. And I couldn't agree with you more. I don't really like how I portrayed Sakura's character with Neji. And now she can totally focus only on Sasuke!  
**psychedelic aya: **hyperventilate? Wow, I'm touched! I never knew such a plot-less story made people so happy! Thanks so much!  
**PrincessChii: **did I come off of last chapter with the vibe I hate school? That's not entirely true. I just hate mountains of homework. And history. And French. And I shall forever laugh at Tenten's crazy face!  
**ArishaGinkaze: **it's so nice to see another Canadian around! Especially one who can sympathize saying you've gone (or are going) through learning whatever happened in our history (which again is nothing!) But try having to do all that in French! (I just brought this upon myself…French immersion…T.T) oh, have a good long week-end, since it's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend!  
**mitchigirl: **haha! I didn't even notice my OC Mitchi until you mentioned it! I think she pops up here and there.  
**To everyone else who mentioned something about school: **again, it's just the homework issue, for the most part. It makes my chapters harder to write…but anyway, I pull it off!

Thanks all for reviewing! Each single review always makes my day :D

So, next time: Konoha goes to the sports! Tennis, basketball…revenge? Hey, I never knew revenge was a sport! Especially rivalry in between two angry females. Where is Sasuke when she needs him, huh?


	16. A Lesson in Revenge

**Disclaimer: **Standand.

* * *

**Chapter 16: A Lesson in Revenge**

Green eyes were fixed upon the opposite side of the room. She gripped her racket tighter, holding it out in front of her. Then, the machine made a popping sound. She moved the racket to the side and with great force swung it forward with a "Ha!" The bright-green tennis ball sped towards the other side. More followed suit, as she hit ten balls consecutively in a row.

After the ten, she looked to her left, where Ino was also doing a similar drill. They both gave each other a challenging look. "More!" they both cried, and so began the unofficial contest of who could hit the most balls back without missing one.

"Girls, girls!" the coach, Kurenai-sensei, said after they'd hit more balls then the people could feed the machine, "this isn't the point of the exercise." She took her own racket from the bench and walked over. "If you two are bound to be partners, work together. Work on your strategy. Right now all your shots are long and low. Your opponent will be able to find these holes really quickly. Try hitting some different shots without the machine. Face each other."

The two did as they were told, so Kurenai went on to check the game schedule. The first game would be against the Sound. They were a new team to enter this year, so there wasn't any info on them. The game would take place tomorrow after school. The basketball team would also be playing just before their matches, because there had been a person on both teams.

She put the timetable down and went to another practice court where she taught another girl how to effectively use the machine. "It always shoots in the same spot, so try hitting it at different angles," she showed her with the racket.

The place where they trained was a type of sports-complex. So right next to them were several gyms with other teams practicing. The boys' basketball team had just finished their 66th lap around the place. Their coach, Gai-sensei, had stopped them in front of the tennis counts, and he stepped inside, followed by the team of about 20. "Now see here," he spoke up, "I don't want to hear that any of you are tired. If not, you don't deserve to be on the basketball team and we'll send you to join tennis!" The whole team stopped their exercises and scowled at the remark.

Kurenai didn't seem too worried. "Now see here," she spoke up, mimicking Gai, "the machines pump so much force that sometimes long shots are what you want to do. Takashi, maximum thrust." The boy at the machine turned the dial and ducked for cover. With a pop. A tennis ball came flying towards her. She redirected it with great force on an angle. It hit Gai square in the face, and sent him flying back. Everyone looked horrified. "Don't ever take any prisoners when they say tennis is a wimpy sport, got that?"

* * *

"Okay, listen up!" Gai spoke, a handkerchief on his nose, that was just stopping to bleed, "you're opponents will be very strong. I've heard that the sound are quite formidable this year."

"You know, looking like that it's hard to take this guy seriously now," whispered Naruto to a few teammates, whom nodded in reply. "I don't think I'll ever piss off Sakura-chan when she's got something in her hand."

"So are we clear on the starting lineup, Naruto?" their coach interrupted his conversation. The blond made a face at being picked on like that. "Fine, I'll repeat it again, just so that you hear it. The two forwards will be you, Naruto as well as Kiba. The guards will be Lee and Shino. Our center as like last year will be Sasuke. Got it?"

"Sure," Naruto replied uncaringly.

"Good, now you all get a nice rest and prepare for our game tomorrow."

"I will do my best, sensei! I'll train all tonight and tomorrow so that I may be in the prime of my game tomorrow!" Lee cried, giving his trademark thumbs-up.

"That's the spirit I want to see, Lee! You are indeed one of Konoha's most valuable players! I want this kind of attitude from…everyone?" looking around, the teacher and the student were the only ones left. When Lee and Gai started rambling, it wasn't unusual.

* * *

"Oh, by the way, thanks again for letting us come over and study with you for exams," Kiba was walking alongside Hinata just as the lunch bell rang, "I promise we'll be good, right, Naruto?"

"You bet!" the blond boy grinned and nodded, "and just so I can thank you somewhat, I invite you to our basketball game today after school."

Hinata blushed, and looked at the floor, "T-thanks," she said soft enough that the two boys didn't hear.

Kiba began to laugh, "Sorry boy, but you're a bit late. I already asked her yesterday to come. She'll be there rootin' for me."

"That's great for you," the other scowled, "but I'd think she much rather root for me."

"You? Thinking? Amazing…" they both then started to argue in the middle of the busy hallway. She prayed for some miracle so she didn't have to die of embarrassment. Thankfully someone must have been listening, since along came Sakura, Tenten, and her cousin.

The pink haired one was the person who finally pushed the two away. "Alright, alright you guys, break it up. I know you both love her but please save your bickering for a better place. And here's the compromise, she'll root for both of you."

Naruto shrugged and grinned after, "You going to be there, Sakura-chan?"

"That all depends, are you going to watch my tennis match after?"

"Well, are you going to beat them?"

"You bet your ramen I will!"

"Then I'll be there."

"As will I." They both shook hands.

* * *

"Hey Sakura! Where you off to so fast?" Ino had caught up to her after school, still holding her books.

Sakura had her gym bag slung over her shoulder, on her way out the back doors. "The question is why are you so slow? The game started a half-hour ago. I'm about to see the Sound get their asses kicked." With that she took up a jogging pace towards the complex. A crowd of students were milling by the door. She squeezed past them, and found her way to the basketball courts. It seemed as if she'd come in during half time, or some sort of break. Both teams were at their benches and the spectators were talking amongst each other.

She managed to find a spot in the second row of the stands. It was the first time she'd gotten a look at the team when she wasn't preoccupied with tennis. They all wore the typical basketball jerseys, scarlet and gray, with the numbers and last names printed on their backs.

The Konoha team broke from their huddle. Sakura waved to Naruto, who seemed to be scanning the crowd for her. "Wow, number 2. You must feel special," she commented.

"Sure do! There wasn't any number 1 so I got the closest thing to it…" the boy ranted on about how great the number 2 was. Sakura was only half listening, since she was looking for someone else. "…and not only that but…Sakura-chan? Something the matter?"

"Ah…oh nothing. I was just wondering where Sasuke-kun was. He's on the team too, right?"

"Oh yeah, him. Kakashi-sensei came by during the second quarter and asked to talk to him. I don't think he came back yet." Just then, the ref blew his whistle, signaling the end of the break. "Well, cheer me on, Sakura-chan! We're definitely going to win today!" with a wave he went back to the bench.

Ino and Hinata joined their pink haired friend shortly after. The blonde was certainly the loudest at cheering, since she made up for Hinata's lack of spirit. She was slightly disappointed that she'd missed Sasuke in action, but still enjoyed watching her school wipe the floor against the opponent. The score still remained in their favor, but remained close.

It was nearing the end of the third quarter, and no one really expected the Sound to pull a trick. While waiting to receive a pass, one of the Sound forwards tried to intercept the ball and ended up elbowing Konoha's center (someone who Ino had called Rey-san). Caught off-guard, he fell to the ground pretty hard.

The ref waved it off as an accident. Kiba didn't like the call, and went over to him, "Are you blind? It was obviously a foul! Look! He can't freaking move his arm!" He kept yelling but the referee shook his head nonetheless.

"Let it go," Rock Lee told him, once he pulled him away, as not to get any sort of technical foul.

"Let it go? Rey was our best center, other then Sasuke who isn't here in case you've forgotten. Now we need to play an inexperienced junior!"

Sakura sighed, as the rest of the quarter sort of fell apart. She and Ino had been convinced that the ref favored the Sound, as they pulled ahead by 8 points. "They play so dirty," Ino grumbled angrily at the end of the quarter. "This sub doesn't know what in the world he's doing."

"Break's over!" the ref warned, as the rest of the Konoha team walked lazily onto the court. They managed to come back, but the Sound was still dominating. With ten minutes left, Gai had called a full timeout.

"What wrong with you guys? I've seen better plays then this! Get it together!" then at the corner of his eye, he caught someone enter the gym. "Sasuke! Hurry up and get here!"

"Ah! Sasuke-kun's just in time!" squealed Ino, clapping her hands. "Oh my gosh! He looks so good in that jersey! What do you think?" Sakura nodded truthfully. Actually, she really thought he looked good anytime.

"Sorry," he said quickly unzipping his jacket, "Sensei wanted me for longer this time around."

"No excuses, Sasuke-san! We need a bunch of your three-pointers and fast!" Lee said quickly. The star center nodded.

Konoha had made a great comeback in the last little bit of the game. They'd clung on to win by two points. "Sasuke-kun! You were great!" Sakura gushed, as she and Ino went onto the court after the game was over to congratulate them. "You coming to watch our match now?"

"No, and even if I wanted to I can't. Kakashi-sensei wants me again," he said taking his jacket. He'd left just as fast as he'd come. He was always so busy.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I'll be there! Let's go or you'll be late!"

* * *

Sakura and Ino's match was second out of four. The boys' doubles had lost **badly** to the Sound. "We'll win," Ino reassured her. Her partner nodded as they stepped onto the court. They walked to the front of the net, where both opponents shook hands.

"Next match, girls doubles. From Konoha, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. From the Sound, Kin Tsuchi and Onkyou Tayuka. This match will go to whichever team wins 2 out of 3 sets."

Sakura gripped her racket until her knuckles turned white. All that ran through her mind was, 'Don't screw up!'

They'd lost the first set 30 to 40. Kurenai went of talk to both of them. "It was a nice try," she began, "but they found your holes really easily. Listen, it's harder for the girl with the long black hair to hit smashes. Try using that to your advantage, alright, Sakura?"

She nodded, and the two went onto the court for the second set. It began much as the last one did. The games were getting long, with all the loss of serves. Then Sakura saw her golden opportunity when the score was tied 30 to 30. She wound up to hit it down, but overestimated the distance. She'd hit it on an angle, but at least it was going down. 'It's going to go out,' she thought grimly at missing her golden chance.

Well, it would have gone out of bounds, if it hadn't hit someone in the process. It hit the girl with long hair right square in the face. She covered her nose instantly, dropping her racket. Sakura covered her mouth. "Good job, forehead girl," Ino said sarcastically.

"That was an accident! Really I swear! I just hit the ball weirdly!" she ran over to the other side, "oh my God, are you alright?"

The girl looked up angrily and spat out words that were incoherent since she was covering the lower half of her face. The redhead translated: "She said 'you did that on purpose, bitch.' You'd better hope you didn't break her nose, damn shit, or I'll pay you back double!"

Sakura stood there shocked. All she went there to do was apologize, and this was the kind of treatment she got? Sighing, she went back to her side to where her coach reassured her that accidents like that happened all the time. Meanwhile on the other side, the injured girl went and sat on the bench, and the girl who would be playing singles went to fill in.

The singles girl had trouble playing a doubles position. Sakura and Ino swept the last two sets. "Great game!" Naruto said after they'd returned to the bench, "and you have to admit, when you hit that Sound girl in the face, it was pretty funny."

"That was an accident!" protested a red Sakura, blushing from embarrassment. She sunk onto the bench. She wouldn't hear the end of this for a long time.

* * *

"I didn't take my math textbook with me, I'm just going to run and get it. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Sakura waved goodbye to her friends, and ran back to the school. They were starting to lock some of the doors, since it was already nearing six o'clock. She went up to the second floor and opened the doors. Well they would have opened if they weren't locked.

Sighing, she went back down and decided to go to the other side of the hall to see if those worked. Then two figures walked through the side doors. But they were wearing strange uniforms. She eyed them for a second, but continued on her way. They followed after her. Finally she got fed up, "Can I help you two? The school's closed to visitors now."

"Are you the one who nearly broke Kin's nose? She said pink hair, you fit her description well," one of them replied.

"Excuse me?" she blinked. Was Kin that girl who she'd accidentally hit?

"Zaku you idiot, of course it's her. Who else has pink hair?"

She looked at both of them strangely. "Well then, Dosu, I think that we should get right to the point," the one called Zaku cracked his knuckles. She was becoming very nervous.

"Usually it's against our morals to fight women…" the other shrugged, "but it was Kin who asked us to 'take care' of you. And what Kin wants, she gets."

"What are you people talking about? If you'll excuse me, I need to get home," Sakura turned on her heel, but stopped when one of them gripped her shoulder tightly.

"I don't think you quite understand the situation. Let me explain. Kin wants you hurt, you got it? And we're going to do the work for her." She wasn't quite sure what to think at this point. "We'll give you a ten second head start. You can run anywhere you'd like. Let's make this game interesting."

"What?" she asked one more time, walking away. They began to count. 'What's with these guys? They're really creeping the hell out of me.' When they got to five, she officially got scared and ran up the stairs. She heard them follow, just as she reached the top part of the stairs. 'What are these morons thinking?'

They were fast morons at that. Why was no one here to help her? Even the janitors were nowhere to be found. She zoomed past her locker, and through another set of doors. They were still following. Her best bet was to shake them, since the school itself had a rather complex system of halls. She went right, then left, then left again. She listened as their footsteps stopped. They went one way, and Sakura was thankful that was the wrong one.

She went down a flight of stairs. The side doors should have been open. That would have worked, had the two freaks beaten her to it, coming down from somewhere else. "You're pretty tricky, aren't you?" Zaku commented rolling his shoulders back.

Sakura couldn't speak. It was partially from fear, and partially wondering how they'd gotten down the staircase at the other end of the hall so fast. "Well, now that our little game of tag is over, we'll give you the first shot. Go ahead, we won't object. But you only have 10 seconds."

"This is stupid. Why are you doing this?" They both stood in front of the door, blocking her exit. They counted. So they wanted her to…attack them? Well if she wanted to get out from this hellhole, she might as well have to use force. "Fine, your funeral." She kicked Dosu in the stomach with as much force as she could muster. With a grunt, he went flying back into the wall.

He was temporarily speechless, as the wind was knocked out of him. "Dosu! The nerve of you, bitch! You're really going to get it now," the other advanced on her. She blocked his kick, but his fist landed on her face. And it hurt a lot. She fell to her knees, wiping her cheek. She glared evilly.

_"Get up," a very familiar voice cooed._

She had been pretty sure that no one in front of her had said it.

_"Get up," he repeated._

Now she was sure she was crazy. There were voices in her head. And not just any voices at that. Two very familiar voices that belonged to her friends.

_"You don't want to look weak, do you?" the voice spoke again. Sakura looked up to see Gaara. He and his sister stood in front of her. "You never should start a fight, but at least don't leave until you finish one."_

"_Either that, or let us finish it for you. You don't be afraid to tell us if someone hurts you, right, Sakura?" Temari winked._

They'd told her that awhile ago, but it didn't matter if they weren't here now. How she wished they were here now. She received a slap on her other cheek to even out the pain. It stung like hell, but she wouldn't dare give them the satisfaction of knowing that.

"You listening to what I'm saying? You better get ready to take it, bitch." Zaku raised his hand. Sakura closed her eyes, and heard the side doors open with a loud screech. Her emerald eyes still remained shut. "Who the hell are you?"

"I come back to get my textbook and this is what I find? Two guys from another school beating up a girl? How filthy low can you morons get?" a very familiar voice spoke. Sakura cracked an eye open, to see who it was.

"S-Sasuke-kun!" she whispered, as he stepped between her and the abuser.

The Uchiha gave his deadly glare. "Sakura, which one hurt you?"

She stayed quiet for a minute. "T-this really isn't necessary. Let's just get out of here."

"Sakura. Who hurt you?" he asked again.

Zaku was getting annoyed with the intruder's persistence. "I'm the one who hurt her, alright punk?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes even more, and without warning threw a punch at his face. He hobbled backwards, stunned.

"I see she did in you friend here. Is that reason to come after a defenseless woman? Scum like you shouldn't even exist." Sasuke kicked him in the gut, and was about to do more damage, until he felt a hand upon his shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun, enough is enough. Let's just get going," she grabbed his arm. He reluctantly backed away from the two who sat against the wall, still full of pain. "Let's go…please."

He sighed, running his fingers against each of her cheek, checking for any damage. Nothing more then a bruise. "What are you going to do if someone asks about this?"

"I'll make something up," she smiled. They exited the building together, leaving the two to figure out how to move.

Would you know that none of them ever got those textbooks they were after?

* * *

**AN: **-Hinata-hime has flashbacks from chunin exam arc- Wow…I really need to watch those eps again. Anyway, yes, sorry the chapter is a week late. I wrote it…and then was quite unhappy with it and rewrote part of it. I still hate it, but just not as much. Oh well, you can't win em all. I've been kind of preoccupied with other things. Things including writing my new SasuSaku story, (which I think I'll post around next time I update this story I think), and getting my LiveJournal up. I just got into it really, and still half confused on how to use it. I hate being new, I have like, no friends there. I need friends! –laughs nervously and watches everyone around her sweatdrop-

Anyway, now onto chapter matters. Didn't expect the 2 angry females to be from the Sound, now did you? (Actually neither did I, but the idea came into my head so I stuck with it). As you may have noticed, there were so many chunin exam moments, especially the ending. God, I miss them. The fillers make me sad (though I find the current team Gai filler entertaining, though Neji ended up being kinda useless, like last ep 157). Anyway, after rereading what I wrote, how cliché was this whole chapter? (Please don't answer that…) Promise, next chapter will be awesome-er.

More review responses. I got so many this time around. –hugs all reviewers even if they don't want one- XD  
**psychedelic aya: **your reviews always make me laugh! Better then caffeine? That, I'm not so sure about…  
**Kookie315: **ShikaIno, a surprisingly fun pairing to write about. Don't worry. They'll get a whole section next chapter. Promise. And Neji's just kind of confused right now. (He's not quite sure what he thinks of her yet, though in time it'll be different)  
**justsomenobody: **Hmm. That'll really just make my story longer. To tell you the truth, it's more of a Sakura-centric fic, though it wasn't originally planned that way. Besides, I'd rather keep Sasuke along the lines of 'I-don't-trust-many-people'.  
**inuyashafangirl333: **OOC means 'out-of-character' You pick up these things sometimes. Anyway, it's nice to hear I have die-hard fans that would…strap me to a chair…XD  
**charl: **pen-name, I think mine's easy to remember, compared to others XD but no worries. Husband-wife indeed. And yes, as I've mentioned before, the Sand sibs will come in (in person this time) when I decide the time is right.  
**ArishaGinkaze **and **Sakura-Girl 2005: **yes! More Canadians! (I think I've said that before but meh). French is a pain, but thankfully only 3 and a bit more months until my semester is over. T.T And you're lucky it was only grade 6 you had it. Grade 10 is even more so a pain.

Okay, my ANs are starting to get too long. I'll get on with the chapter preview (which I think most of you will like): It's time that Hinata-hime paid more attention to some pairings! Because next chapter is: **February 14th! **And what better way to celebrate that day then a dance of course! But…Sasuke's going to need some convincing, more so then the others. And beware of Neji, Hinata, and Tenten's all-time master plan! –laughs evily-


	17. Valentine's Day

**Disclaimer**: Standard.

* * *

**Chapter 17: Valentine's Day**

"Woohoo! Party! I can't believe the math exam is over!" yelled a slightly overjoyed Naruto, then was immediately shushed by the others. There were still people still writing exams after all. "Sorry, sorry. Got caught up in the moment."

"If you're so excited why not just go somewhere to 'celebrate'? There's still time to kill anyway," Kiba reasoned, stuffing his hands into his winter coat that he was wearing.

"Alright, it's decided! Fire Country it is!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air, much to everyone's confusion. All the calculus exams finished roughly around the same time. So Sakura and the Hyuuga siblings, as well as Naruto and Kiba had some extra time.

The walk to the café was a long one. Normally it wouldn't have mattered, but being February, things had gotten chilly. They were glad for one thing, at least the place had heating. The place was relatively empty, so the five sat down in the middle.

Their peer came up to them; he was working today. "You didn't have an exam today, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked once he came up to them.

He shook his head, "I only have 2 exams this semester. Politics and literature. The lit exams were as you know, the first day, and my other class the second day. So I'm done for awhile."

"Lucky bastard," Naruto cursed under his breath, but brightened somewhat, remembering that they were here to celebrate. "Anyway, Sasuke, hurry up with the usuals. Grab something for yourself and come join us. It's a party to celebrate the passing of our math exams!"

"And who said you passed?" Kiba asked dryly, Neji thinking the same thing. Sasuke left without a word.

"Oh I passed," Naruto said without taking offense, "all thanks to Hinata. Math isn't all that difficult the way she explains it."

The Hyuuga female looked at her folded hands, "T-thank you, Naruto-kun."

Sakura smiled, suddenly deciding to change the topic. "So what are you guys doing for Valentine's Day?"

"What do you mean **you guys**? Aren't the girls supposed to give the guys stuff on Valentine's Day, and vise versa on White Day?" Kiba asked, but it was more pointing out a fact.

"I don't mean that, numbskull. Haven't you seen the posters around the school? I meant the dance." Everyone suddenly got rather quiet. "Oh please, you guys still get fidgety over stuff like that? Give me a break. It's not that big a deal is it?" There was one more couple in the restaurant, other then that, complete silence. "Okay…so maybe it is."

At that moment, the Uchiha returned with their orders, and pulled up a chair in between Sakura and Naruto. The discussion was previously forgotten. "Cheers," the blond raised his glass, which no one followed at first, until Kiba seconded the motion. Everyone sort of followed suit, even The Hyuugas and Sasuke.

"So anyway, getting back to what I was saying before, you guys had better all come. I don't want to go and be alone in there, and only after just less then a year of being here too. At my old school, everyone went just for the hell of it. You could just stand around for all I care just come!" Sakura sounded a lot like she was pleading. "You believe that, right, Sasuke-kun?"

She'd gotten awfully attached to him lately. "You're asking the wrong person," he replied coolly.

She sighed, like she'd get a good answer out of him. What had she been thinking? "Whatever you guys, but I'm sure you'll all reconsider."

* * *

"Please tell me you guys are going?" Sakura asked the next day at the Hyuuga estate. Tenten, Ino, and Hinata were also in the room. 

"What are you talking about? That dance thing?" Ino asked, tossing a tennis ball in the air. The other nodded. "Well of course I mean who wouldn't?"

"Yup, I'm going too. Always do," Tenten added. The other remained silent. "Come on, Hinata. You always go!"

"Y-yes but…but…" she looked at the three pairs of eyes staring at her, "I guess…"

"But what about the rest? When I asked them yesterday they didn't say anything."

"You really shouldn't worry about them," the brunette replied twirling her pencil, "they'll come. You'll see, they always do." She flung the pencil at the door, where the other Hyuuga entered. He moved his head out of the way just in time. "Damn, missed again. You know, it isn't very nice to eavesdrop."

"I wasn't. I just came in now, if that's alright with you, since it is my house," he said sitting next to her on the sofa. "Oh, and Ino, Shikamaru called. He was looking for you. He said he's at home."

"Thanks. Well later guys, before Shika does something stupid again."

"Hey, maybe he'll ask you to the dance, neh? Wouldn't that be cute…" Tenten smiled teasingly.

The blonde chuckled, "I doubt that. It'd be 'too troublesome' for him. I'll never understand him…" She left sighing.

"Speaking of dates, are you taking anyone, Neji-kun?" Sakura asked out of curiosity.

He wasn't too amused. "Why should I? I don't even plan on going."

"That's so mean, Neji. Won't you just come along for me? Try and pretend you're my date?" Tenten asked. She continued upon hearing silence. "Will you come if I pay for the entrance fee myself?"

"I don't need your charity," he answered smoothly, "I'm not poor you know."

"Will you go for your cousin? Just to make sure she's okay if guys ask her out?" Hinata blushed deeply while the brunette continued. "Won't you just come along for me?" she leaned right up to his face until their noses touched. Then narrowing her eyes, she added rather coldly, "Please?"

Neji pushed her head back. He thought about it for a second. "If I go will you leave me alone?" She nodded in response. He let out a small sigh of defeat.

Sakura giggled, then looked at the clock. "Sorry to skip out now, but I promised my mom I'd help her do her pre-spring cleaning today." She got up and left the room.

Tenten waited until she heard the front doors slam shut before speaking again. "I can't help but feel a little bad for her, you know? I mean it's like I took you away from her or something. That's what it feels like. She looked like she wanted someone to go with her, or something. I didn't really have the heart to tell her that most people that go to the dance are couples."

Hinata nodded slowly. "Y-yeah, I noticed."

"Such a nice girl too," the other sighed and paused, going into thought. Her eyes lit up, and her lips curved into a sort of mischievous smile. "I wonder if we can kill two birds with one stone…"

She chuckled evilly, scaring the siblings slightly. "Okay. I have a very interesting idea in mind. I'm going to need both of you to help out." Neji gave the 'why-should-I-help' look. "If it works out right, which it should, we could get some fun out of it too."

"Okay," he said mildly interested, "let's hear it then."

* * *

"Wow…I've never seen the gym look this way!" Sakura said as she entered alongside her three friends. "It's so…well, red!" The lights were off, but every time those rotating spotlights hit the wall, it was red. 

"Well then you should have been at least year's prom if you think this is something," Ino started talking loudly as the music came on, "I wasn't there but I heard from this girl that the walls were all black. Then there was a power failure for about a minute and it was total chaos."

"Oh yeah! I remember hearing about that! Didn't someone like…trip over the refreshment table and then everything spilt on people who thought it was some sort of animal and went on a screaming rampage, knocking over some of the DJ's equipment which hit that teacher who had a leg brace for weeks after it?" Tenten recalled in one long run-on sentence. The four of them drifted off further in.

Meanwhile near the entrance, a few of the boys stood there with weird expressions. "Someone explain to we why it is exactly I'm here?" Kiba asked, leaning against the wall.

"I think it's because I sort of dragged you here, just because I always end up going anyway. Then I found out that Neji had been forced to go, but by that time you'd already agreed, and then I decided to get Sasuke to join us." Naruto counted the explanations on his fingers.

The Uchiha boy stood next to Kiba, a big frown set upon his face. On his free will he'd never had chosen to come. Somehow the others had ganged up on him, and threatened to expose the video of the grade 3 play to Sakura. The one where he'd been a talking flower in the elementary school version of Bambi. Yes…he was a bit too proud to show that to anyone.

"Oh lighten up Sasuke," Naruto said prying him from the wall, "it's not like we're dragging you through Hell or something." From the glare that Sasuke gave, Naruto assumed that it might as well had been Hell. Oh well…

"Ah…err anyway…look! There's Sakura-chan!" the blond said quickly and ran off before Sasuke managed to catch his throat. The four girls were off on the opposite side of the room, standing in a circle, chatting. "Sakura-chan!" he yelled over the music.

She waved to him, excusing herself from the group. "Naruto, what's up?"

"Nothing, just that Sasuke bastard is probably planning numerous ways to kill me for dragging him along…"

Sakura smiled, "So Sasuke-kun did show up. He's trying to kill you so you came crying to me? Just like Nobita-kun…" Naruto didn't seem to be too thrilled of the comparison. "Anyhow, I'm sure he won't try anything with all these people around."

"It's after school I'm worried about," he mumbled in reply. He turned his attention to the others for a minute. "Hey! Hinata! You liking the dance so far?"

The female Hyuuga looked up, the darkness hiding her blush. "Y-yes, it's nice."

"What? I didn't hear you there!" Naruto shouted back.

Tenten took the liberty of answering for her. "She said she loves you, Naruto!" The blond blushed, slightly taken by surprise, while Hinata on the other hand got a huge courage boost to hit her friend over the head with her hand. "Ow, jeez Hinata! That hurt!"

She instantly reverted back to her old self. She put her hands to her face. "O-oh, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean for it to be that hard. H-honest."

Naruto still slightly in a state of shock, walked slowly back to the others. He knew that Tenten was probably joking when she said it, but it was nice to hear that someone liked him. Forget even 'loving' him. (Even if it was pretend…) He looked back with those blue eyes, and watched Hinata apologize numerous times to her friend. It was weird. Before he never would have thought of her as more then a friend. Now…he was thinking strange thoughts.

"Woa, man, you look like you got hit by a bus or something," Kiba said, waking Naruto from his trance. "What, did Sakura punch you again?"

"Huh? Oh, maybe, I don't know," he said rubbing his head, "I was just thinking."

"Wow, thinking. That's shocking for you," he muttered dryly. Naruto was about to snap back but a blur rushed past the two, silencing them.

No doubt it was Rock Lee. "Sakura-san," he greeted with a signature smile, "it would give me great honor if you'd dance with me!"

Both the girls' and boys' side went quiet. (Everyone else was of course still bopping to the music.) "Okay," Sakura replied cheerfully, as like she hadn't a care in the world.

Naruto head a sound behind him. He turned to find the Uchiha on the floor. It looked as if he'd fallen off his feet, rather, tripped in place. "Ah! Sasuke? What happened to…"

"Shut up," he interrupted, picking himself up and dusting off his clothes. His head was far from clear though. Sakura had just agreed to 'dance' with that clod Lee. Okay, that was understandable…in a way. What was odd was that the response was enough to send him into a 2-second state of shock. His head hurt. He needed a painkiller, badly!

On the other side of the room, Sakura grabbed Lee's hands loosely, and she moved to the fast beat of the new song. "Uh…Sakura-san?"

"What? Come on Lee-san! You wanted to dance right?" she said smiling. She was oblivious to the fact that he probably meant slow dancing… "At my old school, everyone danced with everyone. It was really cool. But you probably don't care about that…"

"No, Sakura-san, if it's important, I care! Honestly!" he said truthfully, now just glad that he'd gotten Sakura for a short moment. That made her smile more. She was awfully friendly now.

In the meantime, Tenten looked across the room to find Neji. She spotted him along the wall, and made a simple nod with her head. "Sorry Ino, Hinata. I'd love to stay and watch this, but there's something I have to do." With that, she left and met him halfway. She took his hand as they made their way to the front. They looked like they were both talking to one of the DJs.

The song was quickly replaced by another, and Sakura and Lee parted. He was practically skipping off in glee that he and Sakura had shared four minutes together. She, on the other hand went back to the two girls. They didn't say anything about the dance. "Hey, Ino. I haven't seen Shikamaru-san since this afternoon. He didn't come along?"

"Nah," she waved her hand, "it's on afternoon's like these when he always skips. It's way too troublesome for him, like I said earlier."

Hinata wasn't listening to their new conversation. She was looking at her cousin talk they're little scheme over with Tenten. It was almost ShowTime. They were drifting back towards their respected sides. Moving one side of the plan would be a breeze, but Neji had the hardest job.

"Uzumaki," the Hyuuga called once back in his place. Naruto looked over. It was rare when Neji addressed him. "A word for a sec."

"Sakura," Tenten said with a smile when she got back, "I didn't show you the art work that I made, did I? It's on display just outside in the hall. Personally I'm quite proud of it."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed up and down for a minute. "Uh, alright…" he said. He walked away. Of all people Neji had to have asked him. Couldn't Kiba be killed instead? Just like the damn Hyuuga to not interact with Sasuke.

"Eh? Now? I was actually enjoying this for awhile. Can it wait until after it's over?" Sakura asked.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto shouted in front of his face, just to make sure the point went across, "there's something I have to ask you. Can we go over there? So that these people don't eavesdrop or anything. It's important."

"No, please! It'll only take 2 minutes tops!" Tenten pleaded. In fact, the other could almost swear it was a fake plead. "Come on!" she began to push her forward.

"And who says I want to talk with you?" Sasuke replied monotone. "If you need to say something, say it here, and make it fast."

"But then it'll take two minutes after it's over!" she tried to reason, resisting the pushes she was getting.

"Ah, come on Sasuke. Just move," Naruto said, pushing him in the direction he wanted.

"You're not missing anything, trust me," the other replied, continuing to move her forward.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, idiot?" he asked, resisting slightly. Naruto had definitely gotten stronger.

"Aww, but…" she protested again, looking back at her friend, rather then in front of her.

"Naruto…" Sasuke growled again when he didn't answer. He looked back with those extremely murderous eyes. Then he noticed the Hyuuga from the corner of his eye moving closer.

Sakura watched Hinata move closer. Finally! Someone who'd save her. Hinata looked up apologetically. "Sorry," Sakura could hear her mutter. With strength the other was unaware of, she gave her one forceful shove forward.

Neji was right alongside the blond now. "Uzumaki, that's far enough," he said. Sasuke didn't exactly know what was going on between the two of them. But he didn't like it at all. "Uchiha," he said, attention to the other now, "don't you dare hurt her." Sasuke was about to ask him what in hells was he talking about, but received a forceful kick. He stumbled forward.

And Sakura stumbled forward.

Guess what happened next? They braced the person closest to break their falls. And they both looked in the eyes of that person for the first time this afternoon. It was emerald versus onyx. And the two stood there, both speechless, both with their arms around each other.

"S-Sasuke-kun! I'm so sorry," she said over the music that was fading. She glared back to see Tenten next to Neji. She was smirking wickedly. Hinata was smiling innocently.

"Yeah…" he said, also turning to see Naruto waving with a cheeky grin plastered to his face. Sasuke just wanted to punch him right about now. But his hands were a little…tied up at the moment.

"We're going to slow things down for a song," the DJ said in the microphone, "this song was requested by two who don't wish to be named. So grab that special someone this Valentine's and here we go!"

'So that's what those two were doing!' Sakura thought, scowling, 'those…those…they planned this!'

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Tenten asked her, as she casually strode over when the music began to play. "I thought everyone danced with everyone at your old school. Why is this any different?" she fed the words right back to her.

"Sasuke, don't tell me you're scared of 'getting close' to a girl like that?" taunted Naruto. They all left the two standing there.

"They aren't going to leave us alone, are they?" Sakura sighed, while she felt Sasuke shake his head once. "Listen, Sasuke-kun. You, don't have to…dance I mean…if you don't want to."

"No," he said too quickly, which earned him an odd glance from the girl in his arms. "No, because if I don't, I'm sure they'll think of something worse." He'd just made that up.

"Oh…kay…" she said, slowly reaching up to his neck. He was stiff for a bit. He reluctantly tightened his grip around her waist.

"See? This was well worth it!" Tenten told the Hyuuga siblings. "That took a huge burden off my shoulders too. I felt guilty before, but it's alright now. Plus, now we have something else to blackmail him with."

Sakura looked up at Sasuke. He wasn't looking back, just staring into the distance. Figures, he didn't really want to do this. Neither did she, but…she felt sort of…happy. She relaxed and rested her head lightly against his chest.

He felt her shift in his arms, and looked down. She looked like she was sleeping, yet moving her feet. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling again. There was a pit in his stomach, and the sappy music wasn't helping either.

Kiba had joined Naruto and Hinata (because the other two had disappeared somewhere) and began to laugh at the situation.

The song was nearing its end. Sakura decided to be the first to break the silence between them. "Sasuke-kun…" He looked back down. "I…um, well…" she removed her hands from around him, then he immediately did the same.

"Sakura…" he continued at her loss for words, "your face is red." Her hands instantly shot up to her face. Her next thought was how he could tell that in the dark. Maybe it was when the light passed over them. "Are you feeling sick?"

She felt faint. "Um, yes, I'm not feeling the greatest. I think I'll go home down." She turned and ran towards the exit. She could feel her heart racing, and it wasn't because she was running either.

Sasuke saw some of his friends starting to come towards him. That was the last thing he needed. "Sakura, hold on a second," he called, running after her. Walking her home was better then sticking around in this hellhole anyway.

* * *

Ino had watched from afar, the scene that unfolded. They were just causally talking, in each other's arms no less! It made her sick. It was rather hard to breathe. Not wanting to see what kind of situation arose from the given setting, she slipped out without anyone noticing. Not that they were paying any attention, since all the amusement seemed to be coming from those two. 

She went upstairs to her locker and grabbed her jacket. She just wanted to go home and talk to someone. However no one in the gym would do this time around. There was only one person that would be perfect this time, and she was sure he was still around.

The outside of the school was deserted, like it should have been. It was crisp, and there was a slight breeze. Looking around, Ino didn't see any signs that people were still on the grounds. But he had to be here. He'd never leave without telling her, since they walked home together most days.

"Shikamaru!" she yelled, listening to it echo twice. The snow was falling lightly over head. "Shikamaru!" she tried again, with no response. The snow crunched beneath her feet, as she walked along the grounds. After a good five minutes, she'd covered it all. Except for one place.

'Great,' she thought miserably, 'why is he there again?' She bounded off towards the back of the school.

He inhaled deeply, but the fresh sent of snow was drowned out by smoke. Not only that, but Ino sounded like she was coming to look for him, as his name was called earlier. But he really didn't want to deal with her right now. He'd have too eventually though. She'd know where he was hidden.

"Shikamaru!" Ino's head appeared from around the corner. She frowned. "Why didn't you answer? And what the hell do you have with you this time?" He was sitting on the ground near the outskirts of the schoolyard. It was known to the school as 'the Drug Alley'.

He didn't respond, just exhaled. A large cloud of smoke rose up straight into her face. She coughed once. "What are you smoking this time? Crack again?"

"No, just a regular cigarette," he replied, putting the white stick to his lips again.

Ino slumped to her knees in front of him with a sigh. "Well anyway, I came here to find you because I wanted to talk." Shikamaru looked at her lazily, dropping the small cigarette into the ground and smothering it with his foot. "It's about…well point is that it made me feel weird that Sasuke-kun and Sakura were…together almost."

"Forget him," he replied instantly.

"What?" she asked, like she didn't hear correctly.

"I said forget him. He's obviously chosen someone else and you can't help that."

"Yes…but…I've liked Sasuke-kun forever…" she looked at the ground sadly, while her companion pulled out another stick and lit it. Smoke rose once again towards her. "Shika…" Ino coughed, "why do you smoke? You're always doing weird and stupid things like this…"

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly. "Don't you know? It's because of you, baby." He went back to inhaling the cigarette.

Her blue eyes widened in confusion. "But I haven't done anything to you! I don't understand you…"

"Maybe someday you will," he replied, looking at the falling snow.

Silence hung between them, before the blonde broke it. "Hey," her voice was low, "can I have one?" The boy looked up to see her face. She looked serious. Shrugging, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a new stick and a lighter. She took it, and mimicked his actions of cupping her hand right before the flame, so the wind wouldn't blow it out. Nervously, she brought it up to her parted lips and inhaled.

She was sent into coughing fits a nanosecond later. When she regained her breath, she spoke, "How do you stand this stuff? It's awful!" She threw it onto the ground and squished it underneath her shoe.

"You aren't supposed to inhale on your first time…" he said, standing up. He threw his stick away too. Ino was busy growling and mumbling about how she couldn't have possibly known that because she was a good little girl and had never smoked before. She stopped when an extended hand came into view. "Come, I'll take you home."

She paused for a moment, then took his offer. As they stood there in silence for a second, everything seemed…strange to her. Her hand felt warm, loosely intertwined with his. A crunch in the snow behind them shook both of them out from the trance. It looked like another one of the big 'druggies' had come from inside, coming to get high or something.

"Let's go home, Shika. Boy, do you ever need a shower. You smell like smoke. That really is disgusting. What will your mom say? What will I tell her? Mister, if I ever see you with a pack of those again I'm seriously going to ring your neck…" she went on and on, dragging him along by the hand that he hadn't yet let go of.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied sighing. But it was a rather happy sigh. Some day, Ino would find out. Some day, she'd know. He was a genius, and he knew that it probably took one to tell, but some day, she'd learn what he'd been hiding from behind the smoke all these years.

Perhaps it was a word called feelings?

* * *

**AN**: Truthfully, I actually had some fun writing this chapter out. Okay, so it was a bit of a messed-up dance plot, but hey. A little OOC, but I can live with it this time. Hints of all pairings this chapter, a personal best if I do say so myself. (Can you tell I'm in a really good mood right now? I don't know why…just am!) For a rather long-ish chapter, two weeks isn't a bad time. But most likely next chapter won't be up for another three, since midterms are like…now…and I'm getting awfully busy. I'm going to post my new story up most likely some time tomorrow, so please check that out. It's yet another SasuSaku story, AU, and nothing at all like this one. Title? The Basics. (Yup, I suck at coming up with titles...) 

I'm happy to say most of the reviews are positive yet again:  
**anime-obsessedP**: sheesh, that was a bit harsh. That's ok though, I know you love me deep down. And I totally mentioned you this time around (first too! you should feel special.)  
**Sakura-Girl 2005**: oops. My bad. Well…10 miles isn't that far. -glances sideways- But thanks a lot. I could always use more friends!  
**inuyashafangirl333**: I totally agree with you. I never did watch POT but I play. No one should make fun of any sport, since they're difficult in their own way. I just needed Gai to act like that last chapter for some comedy.  
**Zhuhiechee-chan**: more fans always make me happy, especially when they really like it. Thanks so much!  
**psychedelic aya: **I don't usually update what people would call 'fast', but two weeks is fast for me. Yeah, I don't really want this fic to end, but alas. I've planned out the last chapter, though I'm not sure at which number it shall be ending at.  
**pink22sakura**: I actually think you were the only one who said anything about the dance. I hope that scene satisfied you.  
**Kookie315**: funny because no one's asked me about the ShikaIno pairing especially other then you. That part was totally dedicated to you!  
**Idiotic Owl**: No, you aren't the first to say that. And yeah, I do read a lot of xxxholic. I really like CLAMP series.  
**Charl**: AU means alternate universe. It's used when the story doesn't follow the timeline or plot line or whatever to the real story. If that made sense to you.

Right. Next chapter should also be fun to write: It's a flashback to chapter 11. Sakura could have sworn she'd lived through this exact situation before, except, with different people. Who knew such a 'cursed' secret could bring people so close together? Prepare for yet another advanced bloodline.


	18. Advanced Bloodline: The Sharingan

**Disclaimer**: Standard.

**Chapter 18  
Advanced Bloodline: The Sharingan

* * *

**

"Thanks for coming. I know your family shop is usually busy on Saturday afternoons, but this was so important!" Sakura said brightly, as the two were stationed at the Fire Country café, while talking over a small shake.

"Still," Ino replied, taking something out of her pockets, "isn't it weird to forget this at someone's house?" She handed her the black leather wallet, which happened to belong to her father.

"Yes, well apparently my Dad can be quite forgetful at times. But I don't even see why he needed to bring it out at your place last night anyway. I mean, it was just dinner right?" she held onto it tightly. It was actually a rather bulky looking thing, and didn't seem to fit in her parka pockets.

Ino didn't answer for a moment, her mind temporarily elsewhere. "What? Oh, right…" she said without thinking. Her blue eyes had actually been fixed upon Sasuke, and she had a weird feeling upon her. Valentine's day had just past, and the memory of him and the girl in front of her was still vivid in her mind. "Well in any case, Sakura, I just had to deliver this and go. Mom still needs my help. I'll see you on Monday."

"Right, I'll treat this time. See you." With a quick zip of her coat, the door once again opened, and she took her exit.

That left the pink haired teen sitting by herself, she too wondering if she should leave. What were the chances that someone she knew would walk in? Then she spotted Sasuke, reemerging from behind the counter. She didn't actually expect him to walk over when she waved. "Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun," she said politely as he sat in Ino's pervious spot.

"Hey," he responded, and continued before she opened her mouth, "I'm on a break."

"Oh, alright." They sat there in silence. The two never actually had sat down like this together. "Um, Sasuke-kun? How long until you get off work today?"

He straightened up subconsciously. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing really. It's just…well Ino came by to give me this," she showed him the wallet, "it's my Dad's. He left it there last night. It's too large to fit into my pockets, so I was wondering if you could hold it for the time being. I just don't feel comfortable walking home alone with this out in the open."

"Somehow I doubt you'd get mugged…" he started, then looked at her pleading eyes. Damn, it was getting harder to ignore them. "Whatever."

"Thanks so much!" she walked with him to put it inside his locker, and stood in the hall for a few moments.

"Look, I don't know what you're going to do for the next five hours, though," the Uchiha said, running a hand swiftly through his hair.

"Can I help you?" Sakura asked out of curiosity. By the look on his face, it was like he hadn't heard her properly. "Well I was just asking…" she said rather irritably.

It turned out that someone else was temporarily listening in on the small chat. "I don't see why not," a man said, making himself known. Sakura nearly jumped. The tall and intimidating man began to laugh. "You could help my daughter and myself in the kitchen. I'll let Sasuke off early for your help."

She understood now; he was Sasuke's boss, the manager. "Okay!" she said happily, since housework wasn't at all new to her. She disappeared without further word with the man. Sasuke hardly had enough time to register what had happened. Shrugging the matter off, he went back to counter duties.

For the next few hours, Sakura worked at odds and ends around the place. Things such as wiping down the counters, and doing the dishes mostly. She was a surprisingly fast worker too. Her hands now smelt like lemons, from using the soap so often. When Sasuke came into the kitchen around 5 o'clock, he found her still hunched over the sink, scrubbing away. Her hair was tied back, and the apron over her clothes was slightly wet.

"The boss says another half an hour and I can go," he said, receiving a nod in reply, as she continued to clean. The nagging voice in his head was telling him to thank her for the help. But he was never that great at thanking people. "Sorry you had to waste your afternoon here," he said instead.

"Oh that's fine," she replied without sparing a glance, "I had nothing better to do anyway. Might as well have done something productive for once." She noted that he'd left shortly after that, as she head only the running water from the sink again.

Sure enough, at 5:30, Sasuke came to fetch her again. The manager had thanked her again for her help, which she shrugged off as no big deal. So in no time at all, they were off down the busy streets of Konoha. "Hey, Sasuke-kun? Where is it exactly that you live? I don't think I've ever seen the place," she asked out-of-the-blue.

"Yes you have," he replied flatly, making sure that the wallet was still in his pocket. "It's the same place as before you moved away."

"But like I'd remember that…" she said, scowling slightly about how little she actually did remember. "Can I see it anyway? Just the outside?"

The Uchiha didn't know exactly why she was asking, but saw no real reason to argue. "Sure." He could feel her smiling. When they got to the outskirts of town, Sasuke had turned to the right.

"Uh, Sasuke-kun, where are you going?"

"You wanted to see the place, didn't you? This way's a bit longer, but we'll pass my place first." He paused for a second. "And I think you'll find this way…prettier," he'd put it in simple words.

She followed him, slightly pleased with herself. Looking back no more then a month ago, he'd never been this…free with her before. Maybe he was just getting used to her; that was all. Either way, the newer Sasuke she got to know in her spare time was certainly much more appealing to her.

The way he'd chosen didn't seem to have steps up the escarpment, rather the path slowly tilted upwards as they went further. It was shaded with tall trees, only the twigs were visible during the winter. The flats that she saw so far were all sort of hidden behind some of the trees. Sasuke had been right, well, in the summer this place must have looked gorgeous.

A flying object hit her on the shoulder, snapping her out of the trance. There stood Sasuke, a good gap between them. "Did you just throw a snowball at me?" she asked, hints of annoyance flickering in her voice.

"No, the little bird over there threw it," he replied sarcastically, "you were spacing out. I was ready to leave you behind. I should have…" then he felt snow thrown upon his hair. His onyx eyes fell upon Sakura, who was right behind him. It seemed as if she'd taken a bunch of snow and dumped it on his head. "You have ten seconds to run before I kill you."

"Oh I don't need ten seconds," she replied with an innocent smile, "just enough time to make a snowball." Then she ran several feet away, and gathered up snow, because she knew that he'd come after her again. She assumed the hair was off-limits. She threw one at him, which he dodged, moving closer. Another, and the same outcome. One hit her on the arm again, and the other on her back (she turned to avoid her face). "Okay, I give!" she sighed.

"Never challenge me to anything. You'll always lose," he said, still trying to brush the snow from his hair. Before she could retort, and he knew she would, Sasuke pointed to a two-story condo that was nearly hidden by the trees. "That's the place."

The front was made of stone, and it sort of looked like marble from where she stood. A stone awning covered the doors to each apartment, and the doors themselves make of dark carved wood. "Wow, it looks like an expensive place…"

"You think so?" he said as more of a statement. All of a sudden, his eyes began to sting. He rubbed them with his hands.

"Sasuke-kun?" she said, noticing this, "are you alright?"

He said nothing for a moment, then with his back facing her asked: "What time is it?"

"Huh? Oh, it's almost seven. Wow! 7! We've been outside for a long time…Sasuke-kun? Where're you going?"

"Sakura. You can walk home by yourself from here, right?" and without another word, he ran down the narrow driveway and up the metal stairs to the second floor. He'd gone inside the last door on the right side.

"Weird," she said to herself, just noticing how cold she'd gotten. "Well, better get home…oh shit!" she put a hand to her mouth. He still had her Dad's wallet. If she didn't get it to him by tonight, she'd really be in for something. Yet, she didn't really want to bother Sasuke now. He sounded almost rushed to get home. Not knowing exactly what had gotten into that weird head of hers, she was already slowly climbing the stairs.

Sakura stopped in front of his door labeled 201. Hesitantly, she knocked loudly. With a tiny creak, the door had opened slightly. He must not have closed it properly, him hurrying and all. Not really wanting to invade the privacy of the Uchiha, but still desperately needing the wallet back, she poked her head inside. Since it was almost dark outside, and no lights at all were turned on inside the room. It made it very hard to see anything. "Sasuke-kun?" she asked the darkness, which gave her no answer in return.

She stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. She didn't want the heat of the room going out too much. She began to unzip her jacket, as her green eyes adjusted to the dark. She was standing in a rather large (for an apartment) sitting area from what it looked like, the kitchen visible at the back. There was a hall off to the left, and she assumed he was in one of the rooms down there. Sakura set her jacket on the floor, and took off her shoes. "Sasuke-kun?" she tried again.

Straining her ears, she tried to hear if there was any sort of movement in the house whatsoever. But it was still dead quiet. Her feet moved silently across the carpeted floor. She didn't really want to be a pest, but she was sure he was here somewhere. If only he'd left his coat by the door, she'd have taken what she came for and then left. But things weren't so simple.

Her emerald eyes scanned the kitchen area. There wasn't anything really there. She moved down towards the hall. There were two doors on either side. Two were open; a bathroom and what looked just like a spare room for anything. It was used for storage now, it looked like. The last two rooms were placed at the end of the hall.

"Sasuke-kun," she tried again, this time rather annoyed that he wasn't answering. "Where in the world are you?" Gritting her teeth in frustration, she slowly turned the knob to one door, making sure it wouldn't creak. It was just a closet. So that left the last room.

Sakura sighed; he'd probably be mad at her for this. But her father being angry was worse for her. Her watched read that she'd been inside for about fifteen minutes, as she pressed the glow button. Great, now her mom would be angry because she'd be home late. This was all stupid Sasuke's fault!

Holding her breath, she slowly opened the last door. She bit her bottom lip as a small creak was heard. Then she looked up. It must have been his bedroom, since there **was** a bed. It was lined against the wall, a small space between another. The blinds of the window were shut. The room was darker then the rest. But to her astonishment, she also saw no one.

Sakura wasn't exactly sure how he couldn't have been in his home (when she'd seen him go inside with her own eyes). Turning to leave, she felt a shiver go up her spine. It felt quite familiar, but she couldn't tell exactly what this felt like.

The air seemed a lot heavier now. Turning back around, there was still nothing. It was then, however, when she spotted his jacket lying in the middle of his floor. She dearly hoped he'd forgive her for intruding. Slowly, she pussyfooted over to the jacket, and fished out the leather wallet from its pocket. 'Right, now I'll take my leave,' she thought, just before turning to where the small space between the bed and the wall met.

Not being able to see too well, she thought it looked like a pile of clothes, or something like that thrown in the corner. She fell back to a sitting position, seeing now that it couldn't possibly be that. "S…Sasuke-kun?"

She saw the figure in the corner move slightly. Then she heard a muffled and quiet reply. "What do you want?"

"Uh…sorry to come back, but…I-I needed my Dad's thing back…"

"So take it and go."

Strange much? "Is something wrong?" she asked again, slowly getting up and walking towards him. He flinched right before she touched his shoulder. "Sa—"

"Get lost!" he said, shrinking even lower into his corner, if that was even possible.

His voice was like a whip. "W-well I was just making sure you were okay!"

"Your sympathy is wasted," he replied venomously, which slightly reminded her of the time he'd pulled a knife on her. It all seemed like a blur, since the next thing she knew, he was standing, and she'd gotten pushed to the side, the bed making a soft landing. "Now get lost."

Once again, Sakura held her breath, looking into the Uchiha's face. She couldn't see clearly in the dark, but one thing that stood out, was a pair of gleaming red eyes. "Sasuke…kun…"

"What?" he snapped, and she could see his eyes narrow, "don't tell me…you're scared. But of course, who wouldn't be?"

Somehow, this situation seemed all too familiar. "Is that…an…advanced bloodline?" the outline of his eyes had released from its narrow state. He went back to sit in the corner, but this time not as cramped. "It is, isn't it?"

"What do you know of them?" he asked, his voice once again monotone.

Somehow, Sakura imagined that speaking of the Hyuuga household and the Byakugan wasn't the best idea. "Well, I just know someone…who has one."

"I see," he said moving to a more comfortable spot by lying down on his bed. She remained upright. "The Sharingan is the bloodline that all Uchiha's possess. It appears just before sundown, and disappears at daybreak. That, and there's one day…one day every month that it stays for 24 hours. The day of the new moon. It also comes out for every Uchiha when they're desperately scared."

Somehow, this conversation seemed extremely familiar too. "But I've seen you at school on the day of the new moon, I think. You've never missed a day…"

"Contact lenses," he said simply.

Sakura smiled, "See? It's not that bad. You can conceal it at least. I don't see what the big deal is."

"It let's me see…things I wouldn't normally," he explained, closing his eyes. He stayed silent, deciding on spilling the rest to her. "I can anticipate movement, and such. But…it irritates my eyes. My…" he paused, frowning though his eyes still closed, "older bother said that it eats away at your sight, and eventually if you use it a lot, you can go blind."

His features were still set in a frown. It looked like he was thinking of something not very pleasant. "However small the Sharingan may seem, it's filled with pain. Sorrow." Sakura looked away. She was listening to Sasuke intently, but silently wondering how many more friends of hers had these bloodline abilities. "And…there are two levels. The regular one, which most possess, and the rare few…like my older brother, have the Mangekyou Sharingan."

She hesitated, wondering if he was this talkative enough to explain that one. "Mangekyou?"

"The ultimate treasure of the Uchiha, or years ago it was. The one who possess that one, can activate it anytime. In addition to that, it masters at curses."

"Curses?"

"It's hard to explain. It's like a forced thought into your head. My brother…was fond of it," he said bitterly, but it didn't look like he was going to stop talking now that he started. "So basically if he said 'You'll die in two days'…you'd die in two days." Somehow, it sounded like a twisted mindset to her.

"I didn't know you had a brother…"

"Yeah, well I had a whole family once," he said, finally revealing the red eyes again. "A big family. And it was all taken away in one night…"

_"Itachi!" an older man bellowed fiercely, even though his son was standing at the door. "We need to have a talk." The teen Uchiha looked back, somewhat bored, yet an unreadable expression set upon his face._

"_Is it important, Father? If not, I have some matters to attend to."_

"_Your girlfriend can wait, if that's what it is," he said harshly. Two sets of dark eyes were placed upon each other, stares matching equally. _

_In the meantime, an eight-year-old Sasuke was listening from around the corner. This'd been one of the many disagreements lately. He didn't like what was happening. Earlier, his brother had come up to him and said a few words: "Sasuke, I know I haven't been the best brother in the world, and one day you'll end up hating me. Forgive me, for you're far too young to understand. But stay strong."_

_He wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, though. "Sasuke!" the woman from the kitchen called, her long raven hair swinging behind her, "off to bed. There's school for you tomorrow."_

_Without a word, he obeyed, and went into the room that he and his brother used to share. Recently Itachi didn't stay home at night anymore. He now used his brother's bed (because it was bigger and far more comfortable then his own) and climbed on top of it. He usually thought best there. He'd always come when a problem at school had arisen, or he was stressed. He'd sat there when Sakura left for the first month. He'd sat there when he was chosen as the top student for his year. The list went on._

_Now he listened to the voices outside. His father was definitely yelling, his brother doing the same. Sasuke hopped out, going to tell them to keep the volume down._

"…_but I'm sure you've heard the stories. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but there was no other possibility."_

"_So you're accusing me of murdering my family?" Itachi asked bluntly._

_The little Sasuke stood frozen in place. Someone in the family had died? Murdered nonetheless? "Itachi…" his father's voice was calm again, "I want to know what grudge you hold against this family."_

"_I hold no grudge," he said honestly, getting up, "but you two are awfully nosy. I can take care of myself, and what I want." He strode towards the door, not noticing Sasuke standing in the hall._

"_While you live in this household, you will follow my rules, young man!"_

_That was the first time Sasuke had gotten a good look at Itachi's famed Sharingan. His red eyes were the same as the rest, but if one looked closely, a small triangle-like form was also present. "Then hurry up and die. It'd make my life easier!" He exited with the slam of the door._

_It'd be the last time Sasuke would ever see his brother._

"They…Mom and Dad…were in a car accident the next day. He…he would kill the family members, all of them. Except for me and my great grandmother, but she died when I was thirteen." Sasuke scowled again at the memory. "I was too young to understand at the time, just like he'd said. But I've found out the reason why…money. The Uchiha family was very wealthy, and those who died, the money would go to the heirs. So if there was no one left, of course my brother would be the one to receive it."

Sakura, who'd stayed unusually quiet throughout the evening spoke up. "But there was you. What about you?"

"By law, I can't inherit anything until I'm eighteen. The time is coming in a few months, and that's what I've been studying. He robbed them all of their lives for money, and I won't allow it. Half of his assets rightfully belong to me. I don't think he's realized that yet."

"All for money…" she repeated, thinking how he must have felt. A kid lose his family in a blink of an eye, yet still remains to live a relatively normal life. It'd happened while she was gone. Suddenly, she felt really bad. She'd always assumed it was a weird attitude he'd picked up, but she never knew the reasons behind it. Slowly and without thinking, she slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head to rest on his chest. "I'm sorry…so sorry," she spoke in barely a whisper.

Sasuke didn't reply, still thinking of why he'd said as much as he did. Still, he'd half wanted someone to hear it. So for the second time that month, the two of them stayed in each other's arms, without the exchange of words. None were needed.

"Sasuke-kun?" she finally asked, looking up to meet his bloodline-affected eyes. They looked almost sad. Reasons unknown to Sakura, her face felt warm. It was like some invisible force, and she was slowly moving up to meet his face. If he could anticipate movement, he wasn't doing anything to stop her from moving closer. They could feel the other's breath upon their faces. Things, even for the Sharingan wielder were going in slow motion.

That is, until the phone rang. It'd scared both of them out of the embrace (and Sakura actually fell off the bed while Sasuke answered the phone). "For you," he said, extending the receiver to her.

"Me?" she took the phone and listened, "Mom? How in the world did you know where I was?…Yes, I was on my way. I got sidetracked… Yes I have it… Alright, see you soon." She replaced it in its cradle. "My Mom wants me home," she said, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah…well it is almost 9 now. He walked her to the door where she picked up her coat and the wallet. "Sakura, not a word to anybody, right?"

"Right, right…" just before leaving, she asked something else, "you're coming to the trip in a couple of weeks, right?" He shrugged. "Well you'd better. It'll be fun. Bring those contacts and you'll be fine." She didn't wait for him to speak another word, if he was even going to say anything. The way back to her house was filled with thoughts about the story he'd told, and about…how close they'd been. Her face reddened at the thought. She wasn't in control of her body at that point. But she shook the thought from her mind, and replaced it with a completely different thought:

"The trip is going to kick ass!"

* * *

**AN: **Urg. I have flashbacks from chapter 11. Well, you couldn't expect me to do the Byakugan and not the Sharingan…right? -sighs- I know I'm going to get complaints about this from someone, so I might as well just say it now: this is an AU fic. I'm trying to keep these guys in character as much as possible. But if this is going to move anywhere, I need to get things moving along. Thinking realistically, the story's almost over. Yup, weird, isn't it?

Okay, sorry about that little rant there. About the Sharingan eating away at the eyesight, I got that after reading the manga, when Kakashi asked Itachi how good his eyes were. My guess is not very good. Also, curses just seemed to fit, since I didn't want to use the Tsukuyomi. (I mean, how weird would that be?)

Well, I don't know what else to say really. Thanks guys who reviewed (again!) Oh yes, since got a little stricter with the "no replying to reviews" thing, I'll use my lj to do that. If anyone is interested, the link's in my bio. You can comment on it if you want (since anonymous comments are allowed) or you can friend me, or whatever.

Next update will probably be sometime nearing the end of the month (like in the 20s somewhere). I'm working on 2 SasuSaku fics after all, and the ideas kind of clash, so it's whatever I feel like writing. But next chapter comes the Sand Sibs (yes, finally for the people who've been asking!) It also brings fierce competition, misinterpretations, and all that jazz.


	19. Destination: Ichiraku

**Disclaimer:** Standard.

**Chapter 19  
Destination: Ichiraku**

It was 6 in the morning in mid-March. Outside the school was a large bus, students milling inside. By the time most students had found their seats, they drifted back off to sleep. However, there was only one person that had energy that early.

"Woohoo! I'm so excited! This trip will be awesome! I can't wait until the airport! I love flying," Naruto exclaimed as he literally hopped on the bus, and took a seat next to Sasuke, who was looking boredly out the window.

"Someone shut him up," spoke a very tried looking Ino, her head resting against the window. Her seatmate, Sakura, had her forehead planted on the seat in front of her, which unfortunately Naruto occupied, so it was moving slightly. She gave it a forceful kick.

On the other side of the aisle, Tenten and Hinata both had their heads on each other's shoulder, sound asleep. They were both not morning people. Shikamaru looked almost dead against his hand rest, while Choji munched on some crackers. Kiba looked like a zombie, while the one sitting next to him, a boy named Shino…well one couldn't tell what he was doing, with those dark sunglasses on. Neji looked awake, just tired, and Rock Lee was snoring loudly next to him.

That was just the bus ride to the airport. The trip specified that they were going to fly a chartered man-made island. Whoever owned this Ichiraku place really must have been rich. The airport was located right outside the town, and couldn't have been more then a 20-minute drive. Still, other then Naruto who was still full of energy, the bus was silent. Even the coaches and chaperones looked half-dead.

Actually getting off the bus took longer then getting on. No one seemed to thrilled to get up and stand in line for the boarding passes. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but by the time everyone moved through it was a good half an hour. Then they had to go through security, and sit at the gate for the plane to arrive. By that time, people started to drift again.

"Flight 547 to Ichiraku, now boarding all passengers," the rather mechanical sounding voice on the speaker rang throughout the gate. Kurenai went around to all the sleeping students, who seemed all very annoyed at this point.

It took a good while to pile into the rather small aircraft. They sat with the same people as on the bus. Sasuke had given Naruto the window seat this time around, so that he could look at the scenery below and not bother him as much. And even before the plane managed to hit the runway, half the people were out.

"How long is the flight?" the petal haired girl whispered to Neji, who now sat behind her and Ino. He still had that exhausted look upon his face, probably since even if he was a morning person, waking up at 4 was still a bit early.

"I don't know exactly. I think it was around an hour and a bit," he answered, nudging Lee in the ribs to stop his snoring.

With a sigh, she turned around, and looked past Ino who was sound asleep. The sky was cloudy, so she couldn't see anything underneath. This was her second time on an airplane, and truthfully there wasn't anything exquisite about it. She expected to see small cities, or nice landscapes below. However both times had been cloudy.

Sakura desperately wanted to sleep, but somehow the smell of jet fuel made her head feel weird. Sighing and seeing there was nothing more to do, she pulled out the week's itinerary. It was a booklet filled with rules and regulations, game times, the lot. Then in the other package she had in her carryon bag held a key to the room she and Ino would be sharing, with a map. She studied it, seeing how big this complex must have been. The girls' and boys' dorms were located right next to each other. Then walking down the path was the dining hall. There were several paths that branched off from there. There were two swimming pools, one outdoors as a recreational area, and the competition one that was indoors. Another route led to the courts, where they'd play basketball, volleyball, and such. The next path were the tennis courts, and the last one was the hockey arena.

Reading over the procedures for today, they were all supposed to go straight to the dorms, then come right down to the dining hall, for some kind of reception.

She put the paper back in her bag, and leaned back against her chair. What was on her mind now was the people who would be there today. What if those Sound students were there? Well then, she had to make sure not to walk alone about the complex. Then there were going to be Sand students there. She wondered if her friends would somehow be there. Here at Konoha, they'd all paid for the trip themselves. But money was tight for most people back there. So would they be there?

Who else was up? She looked around. Neji looked like he was resting his eyes, not sleeping, as his eyebrow twitched from time to time as Lee made loud snores. Kiba looked bored out of his skull, now fully awake and drumming his fingers on the armrest. Naruto's nose was pressed against the window, and Sasuke had a new volume of Hellsing open. Maybe she should try and get some sleep.

However, before she could fully close her eyes, the pilot's voice came on the speaker. It was the usual announcement saying to place the chairs upright, put all seatbelts on, as the plane would be landing shortly. The Hyuuga had been right; it was a fast flight.

"Hey, I just realized something," Sakura said to Ino as everyone walked along the narrow aisle once the plane had landed, "why is it that there's an outdoor pool functioning in March?"

"Because it's hot on the island," the blonde replied simply with a yawn.

"But it's only an hour south, so how would that work?"

"I dunno. It just does," and the two left it at that.

After getting their respected bags, they all piled onto a bus that had magically been there waiting for them. Talk about reliable service. It seemed like a movie, when they came to pick you up from the airport in an exquisite car. Only, that this was a coach bus. Close enough…

By now it was almost 11 o'clock, as the bus turned down off the small highway along the island. There in the distance, was indeed the destination, and man, was it ever big. The look on Sakura's face said a similar feeling. "Hey, isn't this place so cool, Sakura-chan?" piped up Naruto practically jumping in excitement.

"Um, sure I guess. But calm down a bit, Naruto. You're scaring the juniors!" she replied, glancing to the younger teens who looked like Naruto had grown a third arm or something. Sasuke and Ino couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want guys. But I'm getting off this bus first and I'm choosing the bed I want since I'll be there before you will," he grumbled as the bus pulled to a stop in front of two very large hotel-looking buildings. It must have been the dorms.

Getting off the bus, Sakura looked around. Other then the bus, the place looked totally deserted. Maybe they were early, or maybe everyone was inside already. Squinting her eyes, she could make out a building in the distance. That must have been the mess hall. Whoever had drawn that map had forgotten to mention it wasn't at all to scale!

"Hey girl, stop spacing. Your roommate already left without you," informed Tenten, as she dragged a duffel bag to the two large sliding glass doors.

"What?" the other said instantly snatching up hers. "She can't decide which bed unless I'm there!" Without another moment's hesitation, she was dashing towards the elevator and jammed her finger onto the button marked '3'.

* * *

"Eh? Why in the world do we have to wear our team jacket to a reception?" whined Sakura, who was digging through her suitcase for the dark green jacket. She didn't really think she'd need to use it, and placed it at the bottom.

"You're asking me?" her blonde roommate asked, brushing her hair, "I just read the notice on our door. Apparently all the teams have to."

"What a drag," the other sighed, finally pulling it out. It had the word 'Konoha' embroidered on the front and 'Tennis Team' on the back. She draped it over her shoulders. "Well, let's go."

The two closed the door, and each slipped their own key card into a pocket. Outside, they met Kiba and Shino (which, by the way, Sakura still had no idea who he really was…). Kiba wore his basketball jacket, while the other wore a hockey sweater.

"I forgot how big this place was," commented Kiba as the four of them walked down the path away from the residence. He went on about his freshman year, and how all the teams were either really good or really bad.

"It's huge!" Ino said, as they entered through the double doors to the hall. The floor was carpeted with intricate patterns. There was a type of cocktail bar (or something like it) along the side wall. In the center of the room hung a large crystal chandelier. "Not to mention fancy…"

There were already a number of people milling about. They all wore a team outfit of some sort. Kiba went to join a couple friends from his time, Shino following wordlessly. Ino excused herself to go and talk to Kaori, who was her friend on the swim team.

Sakura was left standing alone, then brightened when she saw the word 'Uchiha' on the back of a basketball jacket. "Hello, Sasuke-kun," she said running up to him. He nodded in response to her greeting. "This place looks…um, fun?" she said, trying to make conversation. He shrugged. Wow, **someone** was talkative today. She was about to make a second attempt, but gazed past her objective. "S-Sasuke-kun…" she trailed off, subconsciously moving closer to him.

He followed her gaze to the entranceway, where three people walked in. They wore blue uniforms. It was the three from the Sound who had tried to gang up on Sakura a month ago. She had reason to be frightened. The Sound trio looked over to them. Sasuke simply glared, and it sent them huffing the other way. "I don't think they want to fight again," he replied simply, finally noticing that Sakura had clamped herself to his arm. "What are you doing?"

"I was hiding, obviously," she retorted, letting go.

"I never knew you were such a coward," the Uchiha remarked smugly.

"You shut it," was her reply, then changed the subject slightly, "but you know, I never did thank you properly for last time."

"What?" he said rather confused. Sakura simply shook her head and smiled. "You're so weird…"

He was about to continue but a voice from behind him didn't allow him to do so. "Wow, I haven't seen you in awhile," a feminine voice piped up. She had blond hair and blue eyes, and for a second, reminded him slightly of Naruto. But she was far from that. Her hair managed to stay in four buns, and she wore a tennis jacket.

Sasuke didn't exactly know why she was talking to him, until he realized she wasn't talking to him, rather behind him. "Temari-chan!" the pink haired girl exclaimed and rushed up to hug her friend. "I can't believe you made it!"

"Ha! You'd think I'd pass up a chance to whip Pinky's ass in tennis, would you?"

"I guess not," she said with a small laugh, and proceeded to talk to another, "and Kankuro! Have you been well?"

"Yeah, pretty much," the male said, rubbing the back of his brown hair. That was really all the attention he received. The next instant, Sakura pushed him aside, her head going in all directions, as if looking for something else. "Over there," the brunette said, like he already knew what she was searching for.

If Sasuke hadn't been Sasuke, he might have fallen over in surprise. When he turned around, there was a redhead boy, a good half head shorter then he was. He had the kanji for 'love' written along the left side of his forehead. He had piercing green eyes, and was missing eyebrows. Somehow he had to wonder if he was some sort of delinquent. The freaky thing was, that he was staring. No, boring holes through the very existence of the Uchiha.

"Gaara nii-chan!" Sakura almost squealed as brushed the raven-haired boy to the side, without a second thought. She went up to the redhead and threw her arms around his neck. That didn't stop him from glaring. "I missed you all so, so, so much!"

Temari laughed, "Surely that's an exaggeration. Hey, Gaara, stop glaring at him. I'm sure Sakura-chan can pick fine friends by herself. You…are a friend, I'm assuming?" So apparently now Sasuke magically existed.

"Oh, God, sorry. I completely forgot. Guys, this is Uchiha Sasuke-kun. He's…" the pink haired girl trailed off and looked into the crowd again. "Oh crap. Please tell me that isn't Ken. That **isn't** Ken that's waving and coming towards us."

"Yes, unfortunately for you," Kankuro sighed, looking on as a boy with pale blue hair came bobbing up.

Sakura had managed to grab Sasuke's attention before anyone noticed. "I need a huge favor from you. Can you please play along?" and without any hint that they'd been talking, she broke out into a very forced smile. "Hi Ken! I didn't think I'd ever see you again." Her eyes said 'and I didn't **want** to ever see you again either'.

"Sakura-san! It's been far to long! How have you been?" he said eagerly, in a heavy Osaka-sounding accent. He reminded the Uchiha of Rock Lee, in a way. Not by looks. Just the aura he gave off.

"Uh, I can't complain I guess," she continued nervously. Looked at her three other friends for support, but they just looked on. "Well, as I was saying before, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He's my…my…boyfriend!"

Everyone else (including Sasuke) looked genuinely surprised. Gaara looked like he was on the warpath once again, and Temari whispered something to the other male. On the other hand, Ken looked like he was about to cry, or something close to it. "He…you…couple?" he said, unable to form full sentences.

Oh, she owed him big. "Yeah, that's right. She's my girl." He was about to add 'so now screw off', but he placed his hands firmly (not to mention possessively) upon her small shoulders. Someway or another, he could hear her grateful silent thanks.

"Oh…" he looked crestfallen, "well, I guess I'll se you around, Sakura-san!" He perked up and looked around the room. His gaze fell upon Tenten, who had found a group of friends she was talking to. Neji was somewhere close by, discreetly watching her. He frowned when Ken approached her and her friends.

"Um…we better look for some people," the blonde said, giving a knowing look to the other two. The brunette nodded, the other still glared.

"Oh, okay then," the other female said absent-mindedly. "Maybe after this reception thing or whatever it is, we can get together again. Talk properly this time."

"Sure thing," the other said, "come on, Gaara. Leave them be."

When the trio had walked away, Sasuke resumed his normal façade. He let go of the frail girl in front of him, and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "That went horribly."

"No it didn't!" she protested, "it got that idiotic stalker freak Ken off my back, didn't it? I owe you. Thanks so much."

"You're sure as hell right you do." Then he decided to ask the question that had been irking him for awhile. "What was up with that redhead freak? He looked like he was going to whip out a gun and shoot me at any second."

"Gaara isn't a freak!" she said, somewhat offended, "he's just…a little protective of me, that's all. All of them actually. They're siblings. They all were always worried over me…"

"Whatever you say. Just remember, you owe me **big**." An announcement filled the hall, informing everyone that they could now sit in the mess hall for the 'opening ceremonies'.

* * *

About an hour later, some girls from Konoha, the usual four, plus two other tennis team members and Temari were all standing in a circle, talking about some things. Everyone else had gone back to the dorms for some unpacking or relaxation, well, mostly.

"Okay, I've checked the schedules for rounds of the security and such," the brunette with buns explained in a low voice, as if the walls had ears. "There isn't anyone on duty between midnight and 1 in the morning. How's about we take a midnight dip, huh?"

"Breaking rules after the first few hours?" the Sand student piped up with a type of smirk, "I think we can get along pretty well." Tenten returned the smug grin.

"I don't know if that's such a great idea," Hinata started nervously, staring at her feet, "what if they decide to change their plans or—"

"You worry too much," Kaori remarked with a wave of her hand. "It'll be fine."

"Well if Hinata doesn't want to do it, that's fine," Sakura sided with the Hyuuga.

"Okay, whatever girls. Whoever's in, be at the outdoor pool at midnight, alright?"

Back at the boys' dorms, Naruto came running in (with all that energy he had) and looked for everyone in the lobby. Sure enough, everyone who he'd been looking for was there, whether they be talking, reading a magazine, or just sitting.

"Hey, guys! I have big news! Huge news!" he said with a slight lick of his lips. "Guess who'll be at the swimming pools at midnight?"

* * *

**AN:** Yeah, I know it's short this time. But honestly, I wanted to get this chapter up before I left (which is like... tomorrow). I think you guys agree, instead of waiting for another 2 weeks. Not the best thing I've ever written, that much is for sure. And really, I'm not too fond of this whole story anymore (but I shall **will** myself to finish it, I'm not abandoning it!) so I'm going to end the Ichiraku thing in the next long chapter. Hah, blame it on the stupid little plot bunnies I have for my other fic, plus a new one I think I'll start over when I'm in Florida.

Okay then. As to why Sakura refers to Gaara as 'nii-chan'. No, he's not her brother, but sometimes they'll call people big brother as a term of endearment, or something. (Sort of like how Konohamaru refers to Naruto as 'Naruto nii-chan'.) But the Sand sibs weren't in this chapter as much as I'd originally hoped, but I'll make up for that next time. Was Sasuke OOC this chapter? -hits head on table- uh…yeah! Oh well. It's too far along in the story now to keep him clamed up. Like someone said... blame all the OOC-ness at time point to the character development. I think I'll put more pairings next chapter…

I think that was a pretty straightforward chapter again. Next chapter at…what…three weeks I guess? Yeah, sorry the updates are getting longer. I have final exams in a month, so things are getting hectic. I apologize in advance. Once again, reviewer responses through my LJ (such a hassle.) Anyway. Til next time.


	20. Moments

**Starting AN: **Okay. Projects, studying for exams, three stories, and writer's block certainly **do not **mix. Honestly…

**Disclaimer: **Standard. But if I ever do meet Kishimoto Masashi-sensei, I'll shall tell him to get the writers of the anime to make a Team 7 Song! (Just for me…and PrincessChii of course XD)

* * *

**Chapter 20  
****Moments**

To say that he was walking on thin ice for a lengthy period of time was one of the biggest understatements of the year. For goodness sakes, it was the second day that everyone had spent at Ichiraku and already silent imitation Uchiha death glares were directed at one person in particular.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out and watched her turn around, but then glared. She was still mad? She went huffing towards Tenten and Ino, who both turned around when she'd informed them of his presence. They in turn also gave threatening looks.

What was everyone mad at him exactly? Well, it started (and ended for that matter) last night…

_"Wah! It's so nice here," commented Ino, as she lay floating on her back._

"_Well enjoy it while you can. We should probably get out in half an hour. The teachers will be making rounds shortly after. But we should be able to get back to our dorms in time," Tenten spoke, side-stoking towards the other end of the pool._

_Meanwhile a little while down the road, a blond boy walked alongside on other. "Remind me again why I'm coming with you."_

_Naruto thought for a moment. "Uh, because I dragged you?"_

_Kiba just sighed. "I don't get it. What's so good about spying on the ladies? You aren't some kind of pervert are you?"_

"_No!" the other instantly replied, "but I just so happen to know that it's a perfect time for them to talk about things like gossip, or who they like…"_

"_And that amuses you…" the brunet spoke the line as more of a note to himself rather then a question. They were approaching the pool area, and faint voices were starting to be heard. "I still don't like this idea…I mean, if one of those girls ever finds you, you're dead."_

"_Shh!" Naruto scolded, and tried to listen through the bushes as to what was going on. _

"…_ha? I knew there was something going on between the two of you! So spill, what's happened?"_

"_Really nothing has. It's kind of complicated, but I don't know…I feel kind of different around him. You know?"_

"_Oh! I think our little friend has got a slight obsession over him now."_

_Naruto tried to place the voice to the person, but he was having trouble. The boy beside him stiffened, "Naruto, times up. Let's split."_

"_Shh, I'm still trying to figure this out. Someone likes someone big time and I wanna know!" Kiba shrugged and began to run off in the shadows by himself. _

"_And yourself, Temari-chan?"_

_There was nervous laughter, "Well…I…"_

_Naruto listened more carefully and forgot that he was totally noticeable on the side of the path like that. A voice made him jump and yell out in a start. "Hey, you!" He went flying further into the bushes._

_A few of the teens in the pool tensed up, and silently got out of the water. "But you said not until 1!" Ino spoke softly, quickly drying off and heading to the pool change rooms. _

"_Sorry, that's what it was supposed to be," the brunette said frantically taking the pin out of her hair and thrusting it into a lock. It opened without much force, and they all slipped inside, and pressed their ears against the thin wall._

"_Naruto! It's late, not to mention we have curfews. What in the world are you doing all the way out here?"_

"_I was…um…that is…"_

_One of the girls brought her hand and clamped it over her mouth with a gasp. Could he have heard her confession? "Naruto…" she growled, "you're so dead tomorrow!" The rest nodded, all frowning._

So cutting down on the story slightly, a handful of them had cornered Naruto the next morning in the breakfast hall and forced his story out. Basically they were still piping mad. But he hadn't spilled anything he'd heard (or Tenten might have had to kill him with her hockey stick).

"Hey, dead-last, let's get a move on," an all too famous Uchiha said with a wave of his hand, "short talk before the game. Wouldn't want Gai-sensei getting into his lecture on punctuality, now would we?"

"Hell no," the blond grumbled, taking one last glance towards the group of girls, who seemed to be nudging the pink haired woman. "Coming, coming…" maybe he'd apologize to Sakura after his game.

* * *

For a rather warm afternoon, it was surprising to find no one in or around the pool area. Maybe everyone just hated the water, or there was a bunch of games going on at once. Sakura was lucky that she'd gotten a break after a short practice. So now she took some time to relax in the sun by the poolside. Hey, Kurenai-sensei **had** told them to 'take it easy'.

Sitting in the sun made her rather drowsy. She'd been sitting there for quite some time, nor did she know how long. Ino along with two other girls from her tennis team had said they might come on down later. Then there was the guys, who had a basketball game that afternoon, so she wasn't sure if they'd come by at all. She wasn't sure about the rest of them.

Her emerald eyes fluttered closed, and she gave a yawn. She really meant to go swimming, but it would have been kind of boring by herself. So there she lay tiredly on the pool chair in her pale green string bikini. It wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone, but it was comfortable. (Plus everyone else her age had one…)

Her sunglasses lay on the small plastic table that she'd moved beside the chair. It lay next to a nearly empty bottle of sunscreen (the last thing she needed was noticeable freckles or a burn for that matter) and then her water.

Sitting in the hot sun really did make her more drowsy then usual, though. She felt her eyes slowly flutter shut, but still conscious enough to listen to the noise around her. There wasn't much. The sounds of the wind rustling gently through the trees or the constant bird chirping; even a cricket here and there. A group of students were talking loudly outside the pool perimeters, them laughing about nothing important.

Just as she was in the midst of slipping into a light slumber, the pool gate opened with a rather loud squeak, telling her she was no longer alone. Her senses were a tad more alert, but her eyes still remained shut, trying now to listen for the footsteps of the person. Her eyebrows unconsciously furrowed as she heard the almost silent footsteps approach.

The person had sat down on the pool chair on her left, the sound of a towel being set down as her clue. Plus there was the fact that whoever it was had stroked her cheek gently. That was all the influence she needed to force her emerald green orbs upon so said person.

"Sasuke-kun?" she said, immediately bolting upright, her heart pumping wildly in her chest. Speaking of which, she hugged herself self-consciously feeling rather naked in what she wore.

"Hey there," he said, sitting down on her left, as she predicted. He was wearing a plain white shirt that was rather large even for him. His navy swim trunks were underneath. There was also something faintly different about how he looked. Perhaps it was a slight more coloring to his usual pale face.

"Uh…well…what brings you here, alone?" she hadn't meant for the last word to come out, but it basically just rolled off her tongue.

"Our game finished," and before Sakura could ask, "we won."

"That's great! Who'd you play?"

"Oh…I think it was the Rock…don't remember exactly."

She eyed him quickly without him noticing. Maybe it was her…but his speech patterns were a little weird. Besides, he almost **never** brought up a conversation on his own free will. "How come you aren't swimming? The water isn't here for you to admire."

A scowl appeared on her features. "Well suppose I went in alone and I was casually floating around in the deep end and wham! I get this **huge** cramp and I can no longer swim! Then I'd drown and die. Tell me, what would I do then?"

"You wouldn't have died…because I'd have come along."

"Well, I've been here longer then just a few minutes. I'd have drowned by then."

"Okay, fine. But that doesn't stop you from going into the water now."

"Because! Because…" wow, he really wanted her to get in that pool, she thought, didn't he, "the water's too cold!"

He raised an eyebrow at this, a small smirk inching its way across his face. The wheels in his head began to turn. "Too cold?" She nodded, the frown still upon her features. She looked like a 5 year-old pouting. "I can fix that," he said softly, and watch her expression change.

"How's that possi—hey!" she protested as her body was lifted into the air, and the two of them were closer then ever to the pool's edge. "Put me down, you…you…"

"Gladly," he cooed, lowering her down towards the water's smooth, glistening surface.

"No, no, wait stop," she panicked frantically, and sighed in relief when he drew her back up. "What are you scheming now?" she asked, seeing that his smirk never faded.

"Why don't you join me in the water together?"

"I already said no!" she said securing her arms tightly around his neck. Then his actual words sunk in. "Wait a sec…together? Sasuke-kun…" she didn't have time to actually finish her sentence as the feeling of cold water seeped into her brain. The freezing water made her instantly want to move, and she squirmed herself free from her classmate's grasp. "C-c-c-cold!" she stuttered, climbing up the edge of the pool.

"Well at least you're in," she could hear his voice from the other side of the pool. Turning around, she could see his appearance also looked different when wet. His raven hair no longer held in that upright and spiky position that it did normally, but fell downwards to his shoulders. Not to mention he was shirtless. Her eyes instantly tore away, almost like they'd be burned.

"You idiot, I could have died!" and she added a small squeak when she found him right up to her. He sure could swim fast.

"No you couldn't have," his onyx eyes gazed into hers, the devilish grin appearing once again, seeing her face color. "Because…" he grabbed her bare waist and dragged her close, whispering the last part in her ear, "I wouldn't have let you."

"Someone's…err…touchy-feely today," she commented, glancing sideways towards the pool gates, wondering if anyone was going to walk in at the moment. How she wished that someone would, but then again, how many other girls could say they'd gotten so much out of Sasuke?

"Hmm? I wouldn't call it that…" he practically purred, fiddling with a loose strand of her pink hair. The usual sent of flowers was now drowned out by chlorine.

"Come on now. Sasuke-kun…" it sounded like she was almost whining. Sakura placed a hand against his chest, ignoring every single fan-girl-like comment that buzzed through her head. She'd tried that only to distance herself slightly (since it was kind of hard to breath, sharing the same air like that).

"Oi, oi, oi!" a new voice piped up from the deck. He immediately noted the position of the two and scowled. "Sasuke, you bastard, you can't go into the water on alcohol. Jeez, you know that."

"Just shut up," he replied coolly, letting go of the girl and climbing out of the pool. He glared once more at Naruto before sitting down.

"Hey, Naruto," Sakura started, still slightly flustered on what had recently happened, "what do you mean 'on alcohol?'"

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, Sakura-chan," the blond winked, leaning close to the pool so only she could hear. "When it comes to drinking, Sasuke can't stand a single drop. It goes to his head. We won the game today, so Gai-sensei brought some champagne."

"So…wait…he's drunk?"

"No not really," he said, "it's like he's looser, with less worries or something. He's 100 conscious, just doesn't really think things through."

The pink haired girl was still slightly confused on certain matters, like why a teacher would be allowed to bring stuff like that in the first place. But it sort of explained his irrational behavior, not to mention the tint of pink that remained on his face. "Whatever," she shrugged, also getting out of the cold water, and ran to get her towel.

The threesome were interrupted once again after that, as everyone seemed to come at once. It was Ino who came in first, followed by a couple girls from the swim team. After that was Tenten dragging the Hyuuga siblings, plus yelling at Kiba to hurry up. Behind them were Shikamaru, actually conversing with Temari. 'It's a party…' Sakura thought dryly.

"Now here I am thinking you'd be all sad and alone here, but you have two other men to keep you company," Ino spoke with a mock sigh, "after all the trouble I went through to gathering everyone here too…"

"Yeah, sure," Kiba said with a wave of his hand, "we were already on our way here, you big attention-seeker."

"What did you call me?" the blonde asked enraged.

"You heard me, or might I have to spell it out for ya? A-t-t-e-n-t-i-o-n s-e—" before he was finished spelling out the last word, she'd pushed him into the pool. Luckily for him, he was already wearing solely his swim trunks. "Bitch!"

A fair amount of the people now on the pool deck stopped what they were doing and laughed. "Dude. You got owned by a girl!" Naruto managed to cough in between laughter, before he was also kicked into the cold water.

"Well you just got owned by this girl too, dipstick!" her baby blue eyes were now turning red, as she began to snap at everyone who happened to glance her way. Finally letting everything go with a deep exhale, she walked over to where her best friend plus the new Sand girl sat, still in deep conversation. "Shika, wanna test how cold the water is for me?" she asked sweetly.

The brunette rubbed his head, muttering something along the lines of troublesome. The blonde sitting next to him, though, answered aloud for him. "Can't you see he's in the middle of talking to me? Ask one of those people," Temari said motioning to the now group of five that were floating around in the water. The two were caught in a fierce staring contest, Ino's expression cross, while the other's was smug.

"Come on, Hinata. You didn't buy **and** wear a swimsuit to the pool, **just** so you could leave your shirt on and sit on the side," the brunette with buns folded her arms, sitting on Neji's chair, swim attire on. She was busy watching the shy girl's hands fiddle with the edge of her Tee, as if she was contemplating whether or not to pick A or B on her chemistry exam.

"Tenten-chan is right, you know," Sakura said, abandoning the now quiet Sasuke, and walking over towards the three. "You've got nothing to hide, I mean, we're all friends, right?"

"B-but sometimes it isn't that simple!" she protested rather firmly. "I just don't feel comfortable wearing this out in public and—ah! S-stop, Tenten-chan! Sakura-chan!"

"Oh quit your whining," Tenten said, still trying to get her shirt off by means of force. "Neji, don't you **dare** think of interfering. Your cousin is perfectly fine." However, he new better then to get involved with women and their fights.

"Ah!" she managed to squeak slightly, before the two had managed to get her black shirt off from over her head. Underneath was a rather low-cut tankini top, black in color. It didn't reveal much of her stomach, but Hinata had managed to cover up the top of her chest by means of the discarded shirt. Her face resembled a tomato.

"Aww, that looks so cute on you," the pink haired one gushed, pulling her to her feet. "Come on you guys, let's not let them have all the fun!" Back in the pool, they were having what many called 'chicken fights', Naruto and Kiba being the bases, and the two girls from the swim team, Asagi and Ai on their shoulders, in attempt to push the other off.

"Okay, you too," Tenten extended her hand to Neji, not budging until he got up from the chair. Resisting the great urge to roll his lavender eyes, he got up on his own, and refused to touch her in any sort of way. "Fine, then I guess I'll have to pull and Ino." That was the time when she decided to push him into the water, but the male Hyuuga was quicker then the other's had, dragging her into the water as well. "Oh my…God."

There plastered upon his face, was his signature smirk. "You were asking for it."

"I was not! Hey! Don't swim away from me, Hyuuga Neji!"

All screaming and laughing muted out, Uchiha Sasuke still sat in the corner, watching the events unfold. He was never one to be actively involved with everyone, even if he could consider everyone here a friend. Hell. Why was he here in the first place? Right…because of a certain woman, who was currently trying to drag Hinata into the water that earlier she'd complained as way too cold.

Since when had he started to care? Actually, he knew the answer deep down. It was ever since she'd come back from her old town. No matter how hard he'd tried to push the nagging feeling towards the back of his head, he was always watching her, someway or another. It was almost becoming routine.

"Sasuke-kun?" her voiced echoed loudly through his ears. The raven-haired boy flinched, and rubbed his head. His tolerance level was really, **way** too low. "Oh, sorry," she apologized, briefly, "anyway, a lot of us are going to that party thing down at the mess hall at the end of the week; you wanna join me?"

He looked mildly interested, but maybe that was because he was still slightly smashed. "Do I?"

"Yeah," she answered for him, "you do."

* * *

"Match!" the ref called, signaling the final point. Whatever crowd was there cheered, some groaned. Sakura was one of them, slowly sinking to her knees. Her racket was tossed to the side.

"Damn…" she said, as Ino helped her to her feet with a tiny shrug. "Guess I'm still not good enough to beat my sempai, huh?"

"Well, you kept me on my feet for once," Temari replied, shaking her hand, along with Ino's. But her handshake seemed a bit more hostile. "Anyway, I'd love to stick around, but I have a hockey match to win. Come join me later if you wanna see your school get beaten again."

Once one blonde left, she turned to the other, walking off the courts. "Is there something between you two?"

"Who two?" she asked looking away. Sakura sighed, knowing she was just playing dumb. "No, why would you think that?"

"Nothing…" she gave up. Perhaps she would watch that hockey match.

* * *

The basketball courts were overly crowded the next day, with the four remaining teams left in the tournament. They'd decided to squish all the semis and final matches into one big event. Almost all the students from each of the four respected schools had shown up. It turned out to be the main event.

The first match was the Sand against the Rock, followed by Konoha and the Sound. The stadium was filled with cheering as both teams made their way to the floor, captains shaking hands, but didn't seem at all friendly. "Woo! Go Gaara!" the pink haired girl yelled from the second row.

The redhead captain nodded his head in acknowledgement and walked slowly over to where the coach was already briefing the other players.

"My, aren't we spirited?" Temari remarked, but she was also cheering on her both brothers. "What about these guys? They're rather quiet."

Hinata just shrugged, but she was never that loud (or loud at all for that matter) to begin with. Ino would only cheer on her school, and Tenten sat there with her arms folded, still scowling. "She's still miffed," Sakura explained, "ever since your slim victory yesterday."

"That check should have been a penalty and you know it!" the brunette finally snapped at the Sand student.

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down there Miss. It's not my call, whether I think so or not. Just lighten up. It was only a game."

The brunette growled slightly and returned to her original position. The game had been well underway at this point, the Sand dominating already with a 10-2 score. All she could hear throughout the whole game was Sakura's shouts of "Go Gaara!" and the like. 'I knew I should have gone to watch Neji's hockey game…' she thought, but remembered how he said he'd most likely show up for the finals.

The game seemed to end just as soon as it had started, the Sand winning with a sweeping victory of 72-48. "Good job, brothers," Temari congratulated as both Gaara and Kankuro walked back over to their bench, and then walked off to the locker rooms to rest up for the finals.

"Yay! Go Sasuke-kun!" Ino finally perked up, shouting as loud as she could, over other girls who were saying similar cheers. Hinata was silently wishing her team good luck, and Sakura was drinking some water, replenishing her throat since it had gone dry from yelling so much last game.

Her emerald eyes landed on the Sound's bench. It was those two students who'd so crazily hunted her down that time after her tennis match. "Naruto! Lee-san! Sasuke-kun! You beat those kids good, you hear?"

"Yosh! Anything for my beautiful flower!" Rock Lee gave her and whoever else was sitting there a thumbs-up.

"Hurry up fuzzy-brows! The game's about to start!" Naruto beckoned, and Lee immediately took his position behind Sasuke, who was waiting for the jump ball.

As the game progressed, things weren't looking too good for Konoha. The Sound team was surprisingly well trained, as they seemed to like weaving in and out of the other players. At half time, the score was 35-28.

"What in the world is wrong with you all today?" Gai-sensei waved his arms frantically in the locker room, where his gloomy-looking team sat. "You all play much better then this." There was no noise amongst the team members. "I really hoped it wouldn't have to come to this but…drastic times call for drastic measures. Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Yes, sensei?"

"If we loose today, you're treating the team to a nice big barbecue when we get back home!"

"Wha? But! But…I don't have that much money!" the blond complained, looking at how serious his coach's face was.

"Which is why we **won't** loose! Inuzuka Kiba! If we loose today, we're sending you to an orthodontist and you're fixing those vampire teeth of yours!"

"They aren't vampire teeth!" he roared, clearly offended, "They're just overly pointed!"

"Well **when** we win, we won't need to discuss the matter any longer. Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke! If we loose today, next practice consists of 1000 push ups and sit ups, and 300 suicides!"

The raved haired teen said nothing while the Gai replication exclaimed, "Yes, sensei! We won't loose!"

The coach had gone through every single team member before half time was up. Somehow it only made the players more miserable, but somehow lifted their spirits as well. "Oi, Naruto," Kiba said, as they lined up on the court once more, "whoever gets the most points this game gets to take out Hinata-chan on a date."

"Heh," he laughed, "I won't loose to you, or anyone. That's a promise!"

Naruto had kept that promise, dominating the second half. He wasn't quite sure if it was because of Hinata, or he didn't want to be in debt for the next five years to Sasuke, who would end up paying, had they lost the game and forced to treat everyone to a barbecue.

"Hey, Shikamaru! You just missed the semis," Ino waved over her classmate, who was standing behind Hyuuga Neji. They both had just come from the hockey game. "How'd you do?"

"We won," he gave her a tired and small smile, sitting next to her on the end. "It was pretty close there, for awhile." He was the second coach of the team. There was Asuma, who was the teacher-coach, then himself, who was mainly in charge of plays and strategies. It was like a game of Go, or something like it.

There was a thirty-minute break, to give the Konoha team a rest before the final match. A few spectators had walked onto the court, talking to members of the team. "Hey, Hinata!" the blond basketball player waved over. She was following Sakura who'd run over to the Sand bench, then their own school's bench.

"Y-yes, what is it? Oh, and you were great out there, Naruto-kun," she said shyly, looking away.

"Thanks," he grinned childishly. "Hey, I'm taking you out for ramen when we get back home, okay?"

"W…what?" she nearly fell over, her face bright red.

"Well, you see, Kiba and me had this bet during the game about who could score the most points and the winner had to take you out on a date, basically. I won't take no for an answer, kay?" and with that he ran off to brag to the Inuzuka once again. Hinata, on the other hand, stood there still dazed. Sakura had come over and was saying something to her, dragging her off the court and back to their seats, but she didn't quite catch anything she said.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The moment you've all been waiting for is here! It's the Ichiraku basketball tournament finals!" the announcer boomed over the loudspeaker. "Captains please shake hands!"

Sasuke walked on to meet the Sand's redhead captain. An unmistakable voice from the crowed yelled: "Go Gaara-nii-chan! Go Sasuke-kun!" Both green and onyx eyes locked, both pairs narrowing. They took each other's hand, and shook it tightly as they could. It looked like more of who could break the other's hand first, rather then an all-friendly handshake.

Just before the two broke apart, Sasuke whispered something. "We won't loose to you."

"Funny," Gaara replied, "neither will we."

* * *

As fast as the trip to Ichiraku had come, tomorrow would mark the end of the one-week trip. On that day, the so-called 'closing ceremony' would be held, where they'd award the top school with an award, as well as individual awards. No one was really looking forward to that, though. It was this moment, the party in the mess hall, which was the most anticipated.

It was around seven and the dining area had been cleared, leaving a large space for dancing and the like, plus their very own DJ. The party wasn't in full swing yet, but people were slowly making their way from milling in the large entranceway.

"Well, see you in a bit, okay?" the brunette with buns excused herself from Kaori, who tried to squeeze in one final sentence but to avail. She was already out the doors.

"Hey, Kaori!" Sakura ran up to the redhead, and followed her gaze to the doors, "what was that about? Where'd she go in such a hurry?"

"Dunno, something about trying to convince Neji-kun in coming down tonight. She said that earlier he declined her invitation to join her…or something."

Her body tensed up. There was a reason he (and Hinata) didn't participate in nightly activities. This, could get very ugly. Perhaps she'd run off and catch before they met. After standing there in thought once again, maybe it was best if she found out. The Hyuuga siblings didn't seem to be as friendly or open to people who didn't know their secret. She could hear Tenten now, saying, "Oh my God! Those eyes are so cool!"

She smirked at the thought, when a hand cut her from her amusing thoughts. "Hey, where's your boyfriend?" Temari asked, her two brothers trailing behind. At the mention of 'boyfriend', the redhead's eyes narrowed.

"Huh?" it took her a moment to figure out what the other girl was talking about, before her mouth formed an o. "Oh, well, I'm not sure if he'll show up. He's not a great fan of crowds."

"Well that's jerky of him," the blonde seemed offended for her friend's sake, "next time I see him, I'll punch him!"

"Please…don't…" she replied faintly, "anyway, let's go inside." They four of them made their way towards the blaring music. "Looks good," Sakura raised her voice to be heard.

"Here, let's grab a table," Kankuro suggested, and they found something as far away as possible from the speakers. It was a corner table, barely visible from the dim lighting. That's where they'd be spending most of the night, by the looks of it.

Kiba and Naruto had appeared later, and joined in a conversation between the two females. Ino followed by an annoyed looking Shikamaru also appeared, she, however, ignoring the Sand's student. Lee had also come about, and surprisingly managed to start a small conversation with Gaara.

Around an hour later, Sakura excused herself from the table and went over to the refreshments. She scooped a bit of red punch into a Styrofoam cup, and was about to sip it, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Sasuke. He had come after all. "It's spiked," he said simply, "very slightly."

Cautiously, she brought the cup to her lips. "You're right…hey, you drank some of it?"

"No, I just saw some wise-guy slip it in."

She brought her hand up and brushed some long strands of raven hair to the side. "Really? Your face tells me otherwise."

He smirked slightly, "That was that idiot Naruto's fault. Not my idea this time." Her eyes cast a disapproving glance back to where the blond sat laughing away. "Anyway," he was also looking to the rather content group in the corner, "since it's your invite that originally prompted me to come, you going to dance?"

She looked at him surprised. "You dance?"

He pointed to his eyes, which were still black, or so it seemed. "Did I mention the sharingan can copy things as well? Besides, your crazy Sand friend is currently making her way over here to pester you."

Indeed, Temari followed by Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba were all waltzing over, skillfully avoiding dancing couples. "So your boyfriend showed up after all. Good thing, because I was ready to pound your face in if you hadn't," she shot a nasty look at the Uchiha.

That statement sent the others shocked. Sakura mentally slapped herself. This was going downhill fast, this conversation. This would certainly be all over school by the time this was over. "W-what?" Ino said like she didn't hear properly.

"Sakura-chan…Sasuke…bastard…" Naruto said, blue eyes wide in shock.

'Figures,' both Shikamaru and Kiba thought simultaneously.

"Hey, hey, why does everyone look shocked?" Temari asked Sakura, who was busy hiding behind Sasuke. She was ready to die now…in complete humiliation. Only God knew what he was thinking as well. "And more importantly, aren't you two supposed to be dancing? Get on with it!"

Five pairs of eyes were on the two, and the pink haired teen turned a dark shade of red. "Not with everyone watching! Go away!" Slowly and quite reluctantly, they all drifted away, only Temari, Shikamaru and Ino returning to the table. "Oh…God, this is bad," she informed the obvious.

"It doesn't matter really, in the scheme of things," he replied, his eyes (which were covered by onyx contacts) were scanning the crowd, picking up yet more moves from various others. "Anyway," he extended his pale hand, "care to test out how good my blood limit is?"

"Sure," she smiled at how uncaring he was at the moment. Alcohol sure did weird things to him. "Why the sudden urge to get close?" She took up his offer and placed her smaller hand on his.

"Don't know really," Sasuke shrugged, "maybe it's my reward for winning the tournament."

"Ha, you hardly won it! It was double overtime, and Naruto scored the winning basket!"

"So? It still counts as winning doesn't it?"

It was then that Sakura remembered what she liked the most about this new, yet slowly changing Sasuke. It was that faint smile, somewhere between a smirk and a grin. Sasuke truly was an interesting person. An idea popped into her mind. Perhaps being his boyfriend (for the time being and playing it for what it was worth of course) wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

**AN: **Omg. What a relief it was to get this chapter done. (It's been a month to this day!) I didn't like the beginning part, but I wasn't about to go rewrite it. I know I could have done it a lot better though. There was just too much stuff happening at the pool.

I really don't know what came over me when I decided to make Sasuke alcohol intolerant. It's an amusing thought. Not to the same extent as Rock Lee who goes on a rampage from a drop. So is the extent of a semi-drunken Uchiha. -Hinata-hime rolls eyes at her own stupidity- This may come into play again…a few chapters from now.

Well now that you're all brilliantly satisfied with me because I've updated after forever, chapter 21 might be late (not a month mind you). Final exams still aren't done for me. They're next week. So I'll be preoccupied with that for now. For those of you on semester systems who have their exams (and a couple people mentioned their EQAO…for those of you that live in Ontario) good luck! I'll need such luck to pass my Canadian History exam :)


	21. The Sharingan Reprise

**Starting AN: **Woo! 400! Yes, it makes me smile. That's why I got this chapter done faster. -does happy dance-

**Disclaimer: **Standard

* * *

**Chapter 21  
****The Sharingan Reprise**

She was already at school an hour before hand. She currently resided in the library, pouring over whatever homework she still had left to do. Apparently her teachers had no sympathy for a competing athlete, and dumped a good four hours worth of work on her shoulders.

'Urg…' she thought, clearly displeased, but thankful she was almost done, 'teachers really need to get a life.' There was only two more pages of physics questions left. Joy. 'Ah screw it. I'll finish it at lunch.'

Sakura gathered up her scattered textbooks and began to walk towards her locker. The hallways were more crowded now; some people stopped to follow her with their eyes. Then they went on whispering. "…yeah I heard. So that's her?"

"Really? She doesn't seem all that special to me…"

"Well **I** heard that it's been going on for awhile now."

She rolled her emerald eyes. Did people have nothing else to talk about? More importantly, it was only day 1 back from Golden Week, and they were already talking. Well, that was gossip for you. Ignoring the comments, she rushed up to her locker and placed her unneeded books and binders inside it. She had chemistry class first. The joys of taking all three sciences. It was a good thing the school had semesters. Of course, that also meant that this time, she had no spares.

Her class was just down the hall, so she still had some time to kill before the bell would ring, some ten minutes from now. Still, she decided to step inside before anyone else were to get there. It made it easier not to pass anyone else with some twisted version of a twisted story to tell.

Though, she was surprised to see someone else there. Sitting at the back of the class, staring out the window, was none other then Tenten. Sakura paused at the doorway. She hadn't seen her in a few days. Well, there were the bus and airplane rides, but they never actually exchanged words. "Uh…hey…" she finally managed to say uneasily.

The brunette snapped out of her daze, and looked back to the door. "Hey," she greeted in return. "You're here kind of early."

Sakura took her assigned place at the desk in front of where the other sat. "Yeah, well, I can say the same thing about you."

She laughed, "Well, chem class is a good place to think. It has the best view." To prove her point, she fixed her brown eyes outside again. Out the window was the front of the school, directly over the entranceway. Now that it was spring, the trees already were regaining their leaves, giving once again a nicer picture of all the trees that were around the complex.

"I guess…" Sakura said, also looking outside. She spotted Naruto walking alongside Sasuke (surprisingly enough). The energetic blond looked like he was desperately trying to get some point across, judging by his actions of frantically waving his arms in the air. "Oh, yeah. We didn't have a lot of time to talk the last little bit of the trip. How was it?"

"Hmm? Oh, it was pretty good," she replied, zoning out again.

The other continued to watch out the window. It was like a weird television show. A lot of people she knew were still there. Ino was standing behind Chouji and Shikamaru, most likely yelling at them like always. She also managed to spot Lee pointing an accusing finger at Neji, who had brushed it away and was now out of view, due to the fact he'd entered the building. She heard Tenten sigh. "Still fancy him?" she grinned.

"So what?" the other shrugged, giving her friend her full attention now that he was out of view.

"So nothing. I just wanted to know how it was going with you two."

"It's going just fine, thank you."

"Good to hear," her features were still set in a smile. Now that she thought about it, Neji and Tenten made a fairly good couple. Neji was quiet, handsome, and always needed someone who could understand. Tenten was outgoing, cute, had a ton of patience (and everyone knew you needed patience to deal with Neji) and was totally an understanding person…sometimes.

"Anyway, so I hear that you and Sasuke are now an item, hmm? Figures."

Sakura turned the color of her hair. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"It's kind of hard to miss the rumors. I've just overheard," she replied simply, watching the other female squirm. "But…if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay too."

The pink haired one chuckled, and straightening out the hem of her school uniform's skirt. "Thanks." The five-minute bell rang just then. Some more people had come in, taking their respected seats. Thinking more on the whole couple thing, another thought hit her. "Oh yes. What did you think of…his eyes?"

The brunette looked surprised, and looked at the girl in front of her strangely. Her face relaxed a moment later, and the corners of her lips curved into a tiny smile. "They were so cool."

Sakura chuckled quietly. "I thought you might say that."

* * *

Sasuke sat in the middle of the class, tapping the back of his pencil on the desk. This was such a waste of time. This teacher just never ever stopped talking. He just made grade twelve law class that much more boring. His onyx eyes scanned the class, though his head remained unmoving. Everyone else looked equally as bored, if not, half-asleep. This wasn't exactly what anyone needed, first thing Monday morning. 

To make matters worse, Rock Lee had been talking to him from his seat diagonally behind Sasuke. He was talking about…Sakura…so it seemed. "So I just wanted to say…no matter what the circumstances, I shall never give up on Sakura-san. Love shall always prevail! Oh, Gai-sensei, I hope you're proud of me!"

Whatever he'd just been saying hadn't exactly reached the Uchiha's ears in coherent words. It was just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo that'd gone in one ear and out the other. He was never quite in the mood to listen to Lee's rants.

"Lee. Did you hear a word I just said?" the teacher had stopped in mid-sentence, and all attention shifted to the boy with the thick eyebrows.

There was a pause. "I'm terribly sorry, Sensei. It shall not happen again, I assure you."

"Well see to it that it doesn't. In any case, switch spots with Hyuuga." Neji, who'd been staring at the front of the room (of course not paying attention), frowned slightly, but picked up his bag anyway. Lee whispered an "I'm sorry" as they crossed paths.

When both were once again seated, the teacher continued on with the lecture. Sasuke once again went back to taping the eraser side of the pencil on the wooden desk top, the words of the teacher again going through one ear and out the other. Wouldn't it have been easier for them to just give them the textbook and then the exam? That made so much more sense. No, the real reason why he was studying law in the first place was…

"Will you cut that out. It's highly annoying," the stoic Hyuuga commented quietly, snapping his arch rival from his thoughts. The other gazed uncaringly toward the other through onyx orbs.

"Well live with it, Hyuuga. You're annoying, but you don't see me complaining," was his reply, matching his soft yet curt tone.

The brunet's mouth curved into a half smirk. "Wonderful comeback, Uchiha," he remarked, but the other remained uncaring. "I really think they could use you on the debate team. I hear they're short a couple members this year."

Sasuke ever-so-slightly rolled his eyes, "Why don't you just go and…hold on, why am I even talking to you?" He turned his head away, and abandoned his writing utensil and drummed his fingers instead.

There was silence once again between them, but Neji seemed awfully talkative today. "I'm guessing she knows, huh?"

Even more irritated now, Sasuke turned back. "So what? She knows about you too. It's the reason why you two are close now, isn't it?"

"Perhaps." It was all the way back in the first year of middle school that both of them could tell the other had a 'special limit' about them. It was almost like intuition. "You'd better not hurt her. If I hear one atrocious thing about this, I'll personally tear you limb from limb."

"I'm shaking," the Uchiha now showed his irritation in his voice. "You're big brother act sickens me."

"Ahem," the teacher stopped his lesson again. "Is there something you boys would like to share with the class? Both solemn males gave an evil glare, making the teacher take a step back. "Uh…right then, carrying on…"

"Well that's unfortunate for you," Neji continued their previous conversation. Thankfully the clock was ticking down and it was almost time for lunch. In exactly…hmm…a minute.

Sasuke felt sick to his stomach. That was the feeling he sometimes got, talking to Hyuuga Neji about _matters that weren't his business_. "Maybe you should worry about yourself for once. You can start by telling your girlfriend to cover that mark on her neck. It's disgusting to see."

Neji looked taken aback and was probably going to retort, but the bell rang, and immediately Sasuke got out of that room. Yet another score for Uchiha. He smirked inwardly.

* * *

She hummed quietly to herself, though the water drowned out most of the sound. She placed the wet plate on top of the pile, and then turned off the taps. She peeled the yellow rubber gloves from her hand, and exited the kitchen. 

For the second time that day, the raven-haired employee asked the same question. "Why are you here?"

Sakura was now standing behind the counter, looking at a couple sitting in the far corner. She liked to see this kind of thing. Smiling to herself, her response came, unlike the last time he'd asked a half-hour ago. "Because I wanted to stay with you. But you're working so I might as well help too, right?"

With a sigh of sorts, Sasuke gathered some empty glasses on the counter and threw them into a big gray bin. "Whatever…you aren't getting paid, you know."

"I know," she said just as happily as she was before, "but I'm doing something productive. Though, your boss says he may need some extra help on Friday night. I can get paid then." Her green eyes focused once again at the couple.

The Uchiha picked up the bin and wandered off to the kitchen, muttering something incoherent under his breath. She saw this as the perfect opportunity to intrude. "Hi there," she placed her hand on their table, making them both jump. "And what can I get the lovely pair on this lovely evening?"

"What are _you_ doing here, Sakura?" came Ino's cold question in reply.

"I didn't know it was a crime to be somewhere," the pink haired one smiled again, then turned to the other, "and how are you doing?"

"As good as I was when you saw me in class?" was the reply of the lazy genius, Shikamaru.

"Nice to hear. Um, would you be so dear as to fetch your drinks from the front? Heaven knows Sasuke is terribly busy," Sakura asked in a sugarcoated voice.

"Right…" the male said standing up. In female language, that meant 'Girl talk. Leave if you want to keep your hide.' Once he was at the front of the café, he never even glanced back.

"That's cute, y'know. You don't find many like him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the blonde spoke, looking out the window, "we're here as **friends**, nothing more. You read too much into things sometimes."

"Perhaps…but aren't you fooling yourself a bit?" the other asked, though nothing came in reply. She continued, "You seemed quite mad when Temari was taking up all his time at Ichiraku last week. What was that about?"

"I think you're paranoid."

"Well **I** think you're missing out. Ino! Wake up and smell the roses! He…" she lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, "likes you, Ino. Face it. He was trying to make you jealous. I can see it…you may not see it…I bet others see it though. And frankly, you like him back."

Ino blinked once, before the corners of her mouth tugged slightly upwards. "I still think you're paranoid. I like Sasuke-kun, that much won't change for awhile. But thanks."

"My pleasure. Anytime," Sakura moved aside so Shikamaru could reclaim his spot, carrying a tray of two shakes. "See you guys around later, okay?" With that, she disappeared into the kitchen.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun! That really isn't fair!" complained Sakura, trailing behind the smirking Uchiha, who had in his clutches her pale green purse. It was around 7:30, and the two were taking the scenic route home, since the girl was fond of that one. "Sasuke-kun!" 

"Oh be quiet," came his response, as he moved her purse out of her reach again. "You complain so much, it's past annoying."

"You said that yesterday too," the female teen huffed, once again failing in attempt to get her purse back. She should have never asked him to hold it. Then again, maybe this was his way of showing affection. How she **ever** liked this man was still a mystery. She sighed. "This is taking way too much effort."

"Someone's out of shape."

"No, someone's just damn stubborn." Their eyes met for a brief moment, challenging one another. They continued down the path, Sasuke's apartment now in view. "Well then at least offer me a drink when we get to your place."

Once again, the Uchiha moved her possession out of the way of her last futile rescue. "Such a demanding girlfriend. I should have never committed to this." Both were down the long row of budding trees.

"You know, you don't have to act in front of me. But with terms in commitment, you're a bit too late for that." The metal stairs clattered beneath both their feet. "Finally," Sakura let out a sigh of relief, when her purse was returned. "That's the last time I'm letting you hold it…Sasuke-kun?"

The raven-haired male looked from his door, to down below. His eyes scanned the area for a moment, then frowned. Something wasn't quite right. It was a gut feeling. And truthfully he could feel the air grow heavy. "Something's wrong."

"Huh?" she looked back and saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was like the last time she'd been here. The area was quiet, the cars sitting in their places on the paved parking lot, and the light hum of the wind through the trees. "I don't think…"

"Just…shut up for a second," Sasuke snapped back, none-too-nicely. He fished the house keys from his jean pocket, and opened the door. Inside the house was dark, as he'd left it in the morning. Frowning, he stepped inside. She followed suit, but didn't make so much as a peep.

The door closed with a slight creak behind Sakura. She swallowed. Was the tense air what could have been causing the sudden change in attitude? There was a shiver that went down her spine, and her emerald orbs fell on Sasuke. He was still rooted in place. Looking around the still darkened apartment, the door was still a fraction open. But while she turned to close it, the corner of her eye caught something red, actually a pair of red objects. What had really sent her jumping backwards with a scream was when the things blinked.

Sasuke made a sharp 180, looking back in the direction of behind the door's path. She could have sworn she saw his eyes widen for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with a murderous stare. Through the darkness, he could still see _his_ thin figure. He stood there still unmoving, like a stone. "You…how **dare** you show your face to me!"

The pink haired girl covered her mouth in surprise when the figure's hand quickly reached out and slammed the door shut. Her eyes were starting to get used to the dark little by little. Why was it that every time she was in this house something weird happened?

"Hn. Rude as always, foolish little brother," came the deep and drawling voice that Sasuke hadn't heard in forever.

Things were starting to piece together in Sakura's mind. Gleaming red eyes, the speech 'foolish brother'; this was his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. The younger Uchiha was practically shaking in rage. "Get out, **now**."

"What horrible manners you have. I guess nothing's changed since you were a little brat."

He could have snorted, had he not been so filled with hatred at this point. "You aren't one to suddenly drop in and visit after 8 years. What do you want?"

Sakura looked on between the two. She'd never seen him this angry before. "My calculations being correct, I came to wish you an early 18th birthday, little brother." She got a better look at this Itachi. His raven hair was dead straight and fell just bellow his shoulders. He was wearing and unzipped black trench coat, and currently had his hands in the pockets. His face resembled what Sasuke might have looked like, had he been his brother's age, though this Uchiha had two noticeable lines under his cheekbones.

"Like hell you did, bastard. I know what you really want."

"Ho? Then this'll be easy."

"You aren't getting your hand on a single penny, I'm making sure of that. So before I decide to kill you, **get out of my house**." There was practically steam venting off him, and a small trail of blood leaked from his left palm, from clenching them too tightly.

The older one ignored him completely, and took note of Sakura, who unconsciously took a step back. "And who is this? This is a surprise; you weren't the one to open up to girls."

"She's no one."

Sakura tried to keep her jaw from dropping. What was he getting at? "I wouldn't say so. In fact, I'm beginning to think she's someone deeply important."

"Well, you'd be **wrong**."

Before either of the teens had any time to react, Itachi had grabbed the pink haired one by the arm, pulling her close. She flinched at the grip, his hands may have been warm, but they felt icy on her skin. "So…" his voice was that of a coo, "if she were to drop dead now, you wouldn't care the slightest?"

There was silence for a moment. "Not the slightest," the younger Uchiha's voice now resembled his brother's, that cold tone. "But I'd have you charged for murder in an instant."

"Really?" his grip on the still flinching girl tightened, "even if you couldn't prove it. Even with…" Sakura gazed up to her captor's eyes. The comas in the eyes of his Sharingan started to warp. She suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. "Even if she was cursed?" Sasuke still stood rigid in his spot, teeth clearly clenched. "You're still as bad a liar as when you were young, little brother. Your eyes never lie."

Her green orbs focused on the younger of the brothers. His eyes were also gleaming red. _"It also comes out for every Uchiha when they're desperately scared." _His blood limit shouldn't have naturally appeared for at least another fifteen good minutes. "Burn in hell," Sasuke seethed.

Itachi pushed the girl from his grip, so she fumbled with her footing and fell to the carpeted ground. "Seems you're as uncooperative as ever. Well it's fine by me," and for the first time, the cool façade of the older one turned menacing, as his eyes narrowed. Sasuke couldn't seem to peel his eyes away from his brother's cursed Mangekyou. "Then perish quickly."

The sickening feeling started in the pit of his stomach, and quickly turned into a feeling of excruciating pain. Though he wouldn't show weakness in front of his brother. The feeling quickly spread to his legs, head and chest. His breathing became irregular, and he could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow.

When Itachi was satisfied with his work, he opened the door to exit. Just before, he added some parting words. "Such a shame, foolish little brother." The door closed softly behind him, and there were footsteps on the metal stairs outside.

When the other Uchiha was clearly out of earshot (they'd heard the roaring of a car engine) Sasuke fell to his knees. He felt like he was suffocating. His mid wasn't working properly anymore. He managed to let out an extremely loud scream of pain. This startled the girl next to him, snapping her out of her daze.

"Sasuke-kun!" she spoke for the first time in awhile. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

His pale fingers dug as best they could into the carpet. All he desperately wanted now was for the pain to go away. And Sasuke could deal with pain. This was serious. He felt his head being placed at the base of her neck, though he wasn't feeling too much of anything at this point.

"Sasuke-kun…calm down…please. There's nothing wrong."

His breath was starting to return, though still irregular. "No…" he managed to choke out, "no. This is his curse. The power…of the Mangekyou." She waited patiently, stroking his back softly as he slowly regained his breath. He was still tense all over, but at least the pain was slowly dying down. "You heard him. Soon…I'm going to die."

Her emerald eyes shot open, as she looked down at the Uchiha in his usually frail state. "No. Don't say that."

"It's true. He killed my parents like that too."

"You're wrong!" she told him flatly, "The 'curse' only works because you believe it does. Snap out of it. You aren't the Sasuke I know. You're stronger then this. You aren't going to let your brother beat you, right? Be strong…and don't believe him."

"Urg…" was the only sound he managed. He was all too mentally drained to speak again. 'To not believe…huh?' He felt his eyelids close, the curse of Itachi fresh in his mind.

Before he slipped into total unconsciousness, he could hear the faint words of: "I'll be here, okay?"

* * *

**AN: **Wow. I decided to but Itachi in there. I love him, really, but sometimes he should just stay away from Sasuke. Honestly! Now he'll die! -does long sigh- It's kind of sad. Where is Sasuke-kun in the manga? I'm hoping it'll be like the 300th chapter special or something. Ah, getting off topic here. Does he die? I don't know. I haven't gotten there yet... -get shoes thrown at her- 

I tried to cram as many pairings as humanly possible for me to write in this chapter. And just to clarify on something, Neji and Sasuke both know about each other's blood limit. They're smart, after all. They figured it out awhile ago.

It's only when you get past 20 chapters when you realize that a story really is getting long. Well, for me. It's hard to keep the interest going for so long. Alas, it's way too late to give up on this. I'll probably just cram the tiny bit of ideas I have left into a few chapters. Yes, I shall end it after 24 chapters. That's 3 left. Wow. Ending. Hmm. Means I can work on my others stories! But I hate writing endings. I totally suck at them. I wish they could write themselves…

Don't expect next update to come as quick. I was just happy that I reached 400 and that I did well on my exams. I'm rid of math and history class! Yeeees! I'm so relieved. Those classes…honestly…were pure torture.


	22. To Not Believe

**Starting AN**: Yeah. It's been over a month. More on that after you read the chapter. 

**Disclaimer: **Naruto equals not owned by me. Oh, and the little lines from Twelfth Night is a play by Shakespeare. Me no own those either.

**Chapter 22**  
**To Not Believe**

She didn't go back to Fire Country that weekend. She'd meant to, but her mom had found out about the pilling homework that lay on her desk, still waiting to be finished. The teachers were all stressed about college applications, which had gone last month already, but nevertheless wanted them to maintain their marks. So Haruno Sakura sat in the confinement of her room, wordlessly writing down her required tasks.

Though she desperately hoped none of her teachers were going to be in a collecting homework mood on Monday. Her mind was elsewhere, and she was sure that at least half of her chemical equations were wrong. At this point, she didn't really care, though.

With a heavy sigh, her feet brought her to the washroom, where she splashed cold water on her face. She was damn tired. She'd spent awhile at Sasuke's place after he'd blacked out, just to make sure everything was in order. Needless to say, he never did wake up during the good two more hours she was there, but he could definitely use all the rest he could get. She presumed those long hours he was pulling with that part-time job of his, plus school was slowly gnawing at his health.

"For money, huh?" she told her reflection. It mimicked her. Mirrors were such carefree objects, weren't they? They sat planted on a wall, and just imitated whatever was in front of it. And when it broke, it must have been amused, seeing the person run around frantically imagining that they'd have seven years of bad luck. Now she knew she was crazy. She was thinking about mirrors.

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat. Something was off. No, it wasn't the fact she'd used the microwave today (successfully at that). It was something bigger then that. Much bigger. Her hand reached for the phone in her room, but then it recoiled at the touch. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Yeah…that had to have been it. Seriously, what could have **possibly** happened in the past twelve hours?

She sat back down and stared at her chemistry homework. This is what her mind should be focused on. She'd talk to him on Monday anyway.

* * *

It was now early April. Truly, it was quite an unusual day in terms of weather. The sun was barely shining through the clouds, but it was still bright outside. It was also quite warm. It was still rather early, and there was no better place to enjoy the calmness of the area then the roof of the school. Normally the noise from the students below in the courtyard carried over to the roof, but at eight in the morning, no one sane would be standing around.

This made it ideal for Tenten. She sat with her feet dangling, head rested gently on her arms that were folded against the metal railing. She looked into the distance, over the treetops and towards their small city. It was especially pretty at night, though the school would be locked by then. Maybe one day she'd be rich enough to rent a helicopter, or something. A mountain would work too. Actually, a mountain would be better. More nature-esque in her opinion. Yes, that situation sounded appealing.

Looking over onto the wide space of the roof, her eyes landed on an enclosed piece of terrain. Out of all the times she'd come up here since her freshman year, she never understood what the small pieces of metal were surrounding. It was kind of in an awkward spot too, right in the middle of empty space.

Her chocolate hair was tied in its usual formation, as she made sure they were firm. She slung her backpack over to the little enclosure, and set it down close. She gripped the bar with both hands tightly, and jumped up. It made a kind of handstand, only on a bar.

She did exercises similar to this sometimes. It improved her balance. She removed one hand very slowly, and extended it outward to keep her balance. Her supporting hand was shaking slightly at the weight. This was actually something she'd seen Lee do once, though he looked like he was doing a one-armed pushup upside-down. Strange little man, that Lee was.

Little did she know that someone else was there, simply watching. "You're going to fall," the smooth voice remarked. The sudden apparition of sound broke her concentration. However, she managed to land on her feet like a cat, though she almost lost her footing.

She gazed back at whoever else was up there with her, though she already had a vague idea who it was. "Were you trying to kill me?" she asked crossly. He was leaning against the railing, that usual unreadable expression set upon his features. He hadn't tied his lengthy dark hair up this morning, and it was flapping gently in the wind. She assumed that the reason she was unaware of his presence up until now lay in her deep focus on staying balanced.

"No," Neji replied simply, walking closer. He brushed past her, and set his hands upon the rail, much like she'd done. "Where's your uniform?" With that question, he imitated her, doing that handstand, and removing one arm without a problem.

She scowled. He was mocking her, wasn't he? "In my bag," the brunette replied sharply, "I can't do gymnastic-type things in a skirt, now can I?" She paused for a second, watching him switch from hand to hand. It looked like a pendulum. She kept the amusing thought to herself. "Unless…that's what you wanted to see."

She could have sworn the barely inaudible sound was some kind of snort. "Right…" he brought his feet down to the bar, and just remained there, crouching. They sort of stared at each other, not saying a word for a moment.

"So…then you came here to bug me?" Tenten concluded, walking over to the railing on the side overlooking the schoolyard. Soon after, the male did the same.

"No," he said again in the same tone. "It's a free county, must I remind you. If you have a problem with my presence, I'm afraid you'll have to deal with that solely." It was later on now, and the yard was becoming full with students, like always. They both looked down at some familiar faces.

Out of them was the other Hyuuga sibling, Hinata, who had just been joined by the two loudmouths, Kiba and Naruto. Tenten glanced sideways, watching him observe the scene below. She smiled slightly, but hid it immediately, just in case he noticed it. Neji certainly had a soft spot for his younger cousin, however much he hated to admit it. "Aren't you worried about her?"

Without even looking up, he muttered a, "No." They looked on again. The two juvenile males seemed to be quarreling over something. Knowing them, it was probably insignificant too. Hinata looked like she was trying to make peace. "Two idiots," he told her slowly, "they cancel each other out. In a way. So I'm not worried."

At this, Tenten couldn't help but give a soft chuckle. She got that look from the one standing beside her. The 'my-awesome-eyes-can-see-all-but-what's-so-funny' look. "Sorry," she apologized quickly, "it's just you aren't one to think like that, I find. And I've known you for a long time, Neji."

He let the last comment sink in for a moment. "Aa. A long time…" he repeated. A thought crossed his mind for a moment, and the corners of his mouth upturned ever so slightly. He gently lay a hand atop hers. She was a little surprised at his forwardness today. "Thank you."

She smiled, and looked back over the treetops, as he was doing. It was their unspoken language that made everything seem so right just then. Someday, she thought, they'd climb that mountain together, and look down at the town. How small everything really was, though how it could mean the world to her. Someday.

* * *

He may have had only one good eye, that much was true. But he wasn't blind, oh no. He was a procrastinator, yes, but he wasn't that thick as not to notice the unresolved tension that was setting in amongst some of his dear students. Honestly, he didn't seem to see the difficult task in saying: "Hey babe. You look great today. Let's go out sometime."

Okay, so that's not what his book said. But the idea was amusing nonetheless. His book was more: force so said person to the bed/table/floor/any available flat surface and cut to the chase. Though, such things should be kept for personal times, not to be discussed or even **thought** of at school. He sighed, glancing up from his favorite book. His class (whoever was left anyway) was quietly doing seatwork.

Now, who could he torture in this class? Had it been a period ago, Sasuke might have been a nice candidate, though he wasn't present today. His uncovered eye wandered throughout the rows of desks. He came to a halt at one who had his head on his desk. Hmm, this could surely prove interesting. Nara Shikamaru. He didn't try hard in class, that was for sure, but he was a natural genius. He also knew for a fact, that he was single. (What? You don't think teachers gossip about this stuff? Kurenai has a real knack for these things.) Another thing that he'd caught wind of, was that Yamanaka Ino seemed to have 'caught his eye'. That was indeed something big.

Now what could he do for his enjoyment (and for the benefit of his students **of course**)? There was always the 'accidentally drop the Icha Icha Paradise book in student's belongings and they should accidentally open it', but then that idea had been overused. It was too cliché. He needed something original… well, more original then the 'drop book' idea.

A quick idea formed in his head. Okay, so it wasn't the most romantic setting in the world, but who knew what could happen. After skimming over a few more pages, he shut his orange-covered book, and fumbled around his drawer for another. He pulled out the teacher's copy of their Shakespeare novel study.

"Class, work away. We're going to take up the act questions that were assigned for homework." Most eyes were now on the teacher, each displaying a hint of surprise. He **never** took up homework. "Well?" The class snapped back to normal and brought out their question sheets. Most, of course, hadn't done them. They just hoped they'd know the question when their turn came.

Ino grimaced, since she was one of them who hadn't done the work. She had her Twelfth Night book open to a page for reference. She glanced over to Shikamaru, who hadn't moved his head off his desk yet. She was about to throw a pencil at him to wake him up, but their teacher was a bit faster then her today. "Shikamaru?" he questioned.

The brunet brought one eye up. He met a stern glance, so he straightened up with a yawn. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Answer the first question, please." He noted the absence of the question sheet. Kakashi sighed. "How did 'Cesario' first know that Olivia fancied her/him?"

The boy blinked before answering: "She sent Malvolio to deliver her ring to him, pretending it was his to begin with."

Okay, so he had read the book. So much for that idea. He went on with questions, until he'd gotten to the blonde. "Ino, question sixteen." She was already had a pale complexion to begin with, but she seemed paler at her turn. "What was Malvolio's famous line, located within act II?"

She stayed silent for a moment. She didn't really pay much attention to the little details, just the specific plot details. Right now, she hated Kakashi-sensei, who'd put her on the spot like that. "I…don't know."

Some people giggled, but a look from both the teacher and Ino herself hushed them immediately. "Does anyone know then?" Everyone looked at each other. "Shikamaru, since you seem to keen on answering," the silver-haired teacher remarked, since his student was once again on the verge of falling asleep. "Please help Ms. Yamanaka out."

He recited it like it was written on the page in front of him. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." Ino stared at him blankly. Did he honestly have that much empty space in his head to memorize every single line of the play?

The bell rang, and immediately everyone gathered up their belongings. "Ino, Shikamaru, you two stay for a moment." The blonde looked like she was going to throw something (a desk might have been nice) and the male teen simply muttered his favorite word: "Troublesome."

The two approached the desk, where Kakashi was looking for something in his desk. "Ino, you need to shape up if you want to get better marks in this class," informed the teacher, still bent over in searching through his belongings. She looked kind of annoyed.

'I'm doing perfectly fine,' she seethed in her head, 'it's just the rare time that you check it and I don't know what a stupid line is. Give me a break…'

"Anyway," he seemed to have found what he was looking for (they saw a flash of orange before he pocketed it) "just stay for a little bit, rehearse a scene. You'll have a better insight about the play for the test on Thursday." Kakashi turned to the brunet, "You seem to know the book inside and out. Help her practice. Why don't you do the end of act 2, scene 4?"

Ino made a face, but turned to it nonetheless. She nudged Shikamaru to do the same; reluctantly he did. "Ah…" she piped up, seeing their teacher at the door, "Sensei, where are you going?"

"No where. I have to…pick up some papers at the office. I'll be back in a moment." Without another word he shut the door, cutting the noise from outside, where most students were on their way home.

"I can't believe him, can you, Shika? What nerve, really…" she folded her arms, and stared at the book. Stupid play. It wasn't even funny, but it was supposedly a comedic play. Mistaken identity? That was **so** 18th century! "I bet he isn't even coming back."

As soon as she'd spoken those words, their teacher came right back in. What the… "Well? Let's see some Twelfth Night action here." These were probably the worst people to get to do a play. "With expression, please. I'll give you bonus marks."

"You're marking us?" Their teacher shrugged. "Urg…" She looked over to her stuck-in-detention partner, who had the expression 'let's just get this damn troublesome thing over and done with'. Funny, if she didn't know any better, she might have thought their old, crazy teacher was up to something fishy. "_But if she cannot love you, sir?_"

"_I cannot be so answer'd_," replied Shikamaru. His voice seemed now full of emotion, though his face told otherwise.

"_Sooth, but you must. Say that some lady, as perhaps there is, hath for your love a great pang of heart as you have for Olivia: you cannot love her. You tell her so; must she not then be answer'd?_" This old style of speaking was really getting on her nerves.

"_There is no woman's sides can bide the beating of so strong a passion as love doth give my heart. No woman's heart so big, to hold so much; they lack retention. Alas, their love may call;d appetite. No motion of the liver, but the palate, that suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt. But mine is all as hungry as the sea, and can digest as much: make no compare. Between that love a woman can bear me and that I owe Olivia._"

To her, it sounded something like he was talking about love towards Olivia…or something. (She really wasn't sure.) But the tone in his voice just then sounded different then normal. She continued the next line. "_Ay, but I know—_"

He cut her off like it was meant to be. "_What dost thou know?_" his tone was sharp.

Ino wasn't sure if it was meant that way, or it was something else. His eyes weren't on the text anymore, but on her. She blinked once, and unintentionally stepped backwards. Her script was limply help in her hand. "I…" she started, though she knew it probably wasn't the right words. God damnit! What was wrong with her all of a sudden? Look away, her mind cooed. Look away, look away. Damn, her body was frozen. His eyes. Something about his usual lazy dark eyes held a new…fiery-type glint.

Kakashi coughed, causing both to glance back. They'd forgotten that he was standing there. "I think that will do. I'll see you two in class tomorrow." He stepped outside the room.

Shikamaru was the first to recover, and went back leisurely to his belongings, which never made it out of his bag in the first place. He seemed rather miffed. The teen girl did the same, though her movements were much slower then his. She hated this feeling. The feeling of uncertainty. "Uh…wait for me, Shika!" She hurried towards the exit, where her friend already was. She bumped into Asuma on the way. "Oops. Sorry, Sensei."

They made their way up to the lockers (which were located side by side). He kept one step ahead of her. That was unusual, since he was usually lagging behind, muttering how many stairs there were and how it caused him to waste so much energy. He really must have been upset, since he was walking at a fast pace, and there was, remarkably, no soft ramblings. "Hey…Shikamaru!" her tone was a little more forced. There was still no reply.

Ino clenched her jaw shut in frustration. "Nara Shikamaru!" she swung her history textbook at the back of his head.

He met the floor that so greatly welcomed him in return. "What in hells name was that?" he turned to her, voice louder then normal. His expression was that of part confusion, part aggravation.

"That…" she stepped over his body and continued on her way down the empty hall, "was a wake up call to reality. Who shoved a pole up your ass today? You're turning Neji on me…"

He rubbed the back of his head, and let the tension seep away from his facial features. "I'm not turning into Neji," he muttered quietly, taking a sluggish pace now. "Women…I'll never understand."

They grabbed their belongings and coats silently, and didn't speak until outside the building. "What dost thou know, Shika-kun, that thy does not?" Ino asked looking at the sky.

He looked over at his companion. "Huh? Don't speak like that, Ino. It huts my head."

"No," she replied with a sheepish grin, "I think that's because I whacked you over the head. But seriously, what were you so uptight about back there?"

He sighed, staring at the clouds that covered the sky. Man, they had life so easy. "Nothing. It was nothing. Just forget it."

It was her turn to sigh. "You're so strange." She stole a glance at his figure, glancing aimlessly into the sky. She was glad things were back to normal with him, sort of. "You know," she started, looking straight in front of her, "if there's ever something on your mind, just spit it out to me. We've known each other for too many years."

He didn't take his dark eyes off the sky. "Yeah, I know. I'm just not ready to tell you yet. So you're going to have to have a bit more patience with me."

She shook her head, the long blond hair trailing behind her. "Easier said then done."

* * *

Meanwhile back at the school, Kakashi was grinning behind his mask. "That's ten easy dollars for me," he pocketed the money that Asuma so _gladly_ handed him.

"I still can't believe that stupid ploy of yours succeeded, Kakashi," he said crossly, just catching glimpse of Kurenai who was waltzing over.

"What can I say? I just know my students, that's all," the silver-haired man replied pleasantly.

"What's this? Betting on students again, Kakashi?" the female teacher asked with a slight frown. "Besides, I thought that usually happened between you and Gai."

"Yes well, he's proving less and less of a challenge," he shrugged, "and Asuma wages more." He received another glare.

"What is that I hear from my rival?" another voice popped up, and the gym teacher dressed in all green rounded the corner. "What is this I hear? That I'm not a challenge? Just what I expected my greatest rival to say. How you've bested me again, Kakashi." Gai went down on one knee and did a dramatic pose.

Everyone else stared on, not really wanting to express any words at the sheer stupidity of the scene. It was a good thing there were no students left wandering about. A foot came into contact with the gelled hair of the crazed gym teacher. "Get up, you sorry excuse for a 'rival'. You aren't the drama teacher," Anko from geography said curtly. She turned to everyone else. "You guys were betting without me?"

"Not to mention without me," came Morino Ibiki's reply, as he in turn rounded the corner. He was one of the math teachers.

Kakashi simply sighed. How'd everyone suddenly decide to show up? The next thing he knew, the principal herself would stride right up and join along.

"What's going on here?" barked a strong feminine voice. He'd obviously spoken too soon. Tsunade came up, and right away sensed what was going on. "I see. Well just don't stand there arguing like idiots, make bets, or something."

The silver-haired man was quite fond of sighing today. His school was screwed up somewhere. What kind of teachers made bets on which students would go out with whom? Wait…that was him. Oops.

"I say Inuzuka and that female Hyuuga," Asuma spoke with a nod of his head for emphasis.

"You're crazy," Anko frowned, "since it's obviously Uzumaki who'll end up with her. He may be stupid, but he'd never lose to that kid."

"No, you're both wrong!" Gai interjected, "it'll definitely be Lee and another charming flower!"

At this, some of them sniggered. "Now who's wrong? No offense, Gai," Ibiki said truthfully, "I'm with Anko. Uzumaki and Hyuuga Hinata."

"Come to think of it," Kurenai put a hand thoughtfully on her head, "I could have sworn Tenten and Hyuuga have gotten closer. I say it's them, though not aloud, of course."

"I'd like to think it was Sakura, who'd break Uchiha's cold exterior," Tsunade pushed a lock of blonde hair from her face, "but I think Kurenai's right on this one."

Kakashi was well into his Icha Icha Paradise book at this point. "Damn, guess I'm going to agree with the two ladies then," Asuma said gruffly. "They always win."

Welcome to a typical afternoon at Konoha.

* * *

It seemed all she was ever doing anymore was homework. It was homework this…if you don't do your homework that… It was really all the same to her.

What was really bothering the pink haired girl, though, was the fact that a certain dark eyed someone hadn't been at school for the past couple days. She might have been a bit paranoid, but she really couldn't stop the feeling that kept nagging her. He hadn't answered the phone yesterday, nor today either.

Shutting her chemistry book, she decided that today, she was going to march right up to his door and demand an explanation. If he'd answer, she didn't know. But she swore: she'd sit there **on** his doorstep and wait until he was ready to show his pale face.

Sakura came out of her room, and hurried down the stairs. "Mom!" she called, then noticed her in the kitchen. She was vaguely surprised to see her father there as well, since he usually worked late on weekdays. "I'm going out for a bit. See you later."

"Hold on, Sakura," her mother called, then coming to her daughter's side, "you can't go out now. We're going to visit someone today."

"What?"

"You remember old Chiyo-san, yes?" The green-eyed girl thought for a moment. Wow, was she ever bad with names. She nodded her head, yes, anyway. "Well we've heard that she's sick, so we're all going to visit her in the hospital this evening."

"Oh, but mother…" she frowned as her jacket was forced into her arms, "I was going to…do something important now."

"I'm sure it can wait," her mother replied, pushing her out of the house.

The whole ride to the hospital, she wondered what he was doing. Not that she was to the point of obsession with him (like some were, and that was just scary) but she was simply worried. The whole ordeal with Itachi had really caused him grief. He was simply too proud, though, to ask for help. Men. Honestly.

There was only one big hospital in the city. It was located in the midst of where the university campus was. She supposed it was because medical students had an easier time walking a block rather then taking the bus somewhere. The front glass doors slid open automatically. Instinctively, she wrinkled her nose. The smell of all hospitals was the same. It was rather sickening, which was why she didn't care too much for them.

Her father was talking to the receptionist, asking for the room of Chiyo-san (she still wasn't quite sure who that was). In the mean time, Sakura was listening to some of the employees talk around her.

"…have to work late. I've never quite seen something like that."

"Come on Sakura," her mother ushered. Her parents were already standing by the elevator. Her father pressed the 6th floor button, and up they went. When the doors opened, the stench of the hospital was even worse.

"…doctor needs someone in room 346. No one's around to do the routine checkup…"

All the hallways looked the same to her. Whitewashed walls, white plastic tiled floors, blinding white lights… No wonder people were sick for so long here. The atmosphere was just so dull. And **why** were the uniforms all white too? Those nurses were just running around everywhere today.

"…heart monitor isn't working properly. Tell Suzy to get a new one up here. Someone needs to monitor it!"

The door her parents stopped at was also white (surprise, surprise). They knocked gently on the door. There was a faint "come in". Inside was an old lady, propped up slightly, staring at them.

"…I can't do this anymore. That Uchiha kid just won't cooperate."

Sakura sighed. This place was just full of problems. 'No one's around…this isn't working…fix it…' her inner voice imitated, 'Uchiha kid this…'

Her eyes widened in realization. "Uchiha?" she questioned out loud. How many people were called that? "No way…" she breathed out. God damnit, where did that nurse get to? "Mom, Father, I'll be right back."

She ran down to the end of the hall, and looked both ways. She decided to take a left. There, she found who she was looking for. "Miss," the nurse said upon seeing her, "please don't run ins—"

"Uchiha!" she cut off. "What room is he?"

"Someone you know?" her high-pitched voiced asked. "He's in room 562, though, he's not really—miss? Please don't run in the halls!"

On her mad dash to get to the elevators (skillfully following the signs of course) her mind was plagued with thoughts. They were thoughts denying that it was indeed who she thought it was. It could be Itachi, for all she knew. But he wasn't a kid. It could simply be another person…with the name Uchiha…that was a kid.

The elevator finally came, she pressed the button so hard that it hurt her finger. Though the ride lasted all of ten seconds, ten minutes might have been its equivalent. When the doors opened, Sakura dashed down one hallway, convincing herself she'd get there one way or another. He (or supposedly) was somewhere on this floor.

Glancing at the numbers on the doors, it was 530 and getting smaller. She'd obviously gone the wrong way. Slowing down to a fast walk, she turned on her heel and went in the opposite direction.

The place was rather quiet, and her footsteps were echoing. How come this floor wasn't as filled with people as the last one? The numbers on the wall were getting larger, and she started to break out into a run again (there was no one around to tell her otherwise, right?)

She skidded to a halt in front of room 562. The door was slightly ajar. She began to hear her heart in her ears. What if it wasn't him? That would be embarrassing. But what if it was him? What would she say?

She swallowed, and pushed open the door a little more. There was only one bed in that room. A person was lying very still. Quietly, she pushed it open a little further. The person had a cast around the bottom of the left arm. There were also bandages around the head of raven hair. Raven hair? 'Oh God…is he? No, he can't be…'

Sakura stepped into the room, still deathly quiet. Much to her relief, though, his eyes were open. They were fixed to the ceiling. "S-Sasuke-kun?" she asked in barely a whisper.

She could see the eyes blink, and turn his head slowly. There was a mild look of surprise that flickered across his normally emotionless features. "S… Sakura?" He watched her approach, and she sat wordlessly on the chair stationed by the bed.

They sat there in an uncomfortable sort of silence. She was fumbling with her hands; he'd gone back to staring at the ceiling. Both of them had things to say, but neither seemed willing to speak up first. After another two minutes of stillness, the pink haired teen was the one to speak. "What…happened?"

"A lot," he replied shortly.

"I can see that." She slowly looked over at his weakened state. "What's the damage?" He didn't answer for awhile, keeping his eyes glued upward. It was like he hadn't heard. "Hello? I asked what's the damage."

His onyx orbs fell on the girl again. "Oh, was that it?"

"I guess the bandages are a concussion then," she spoke with a sigh. She assumed the momentary confusion was also a symptom of that.

"Yeah. Plus fractured wrist, and there was the dislocated shoulder, but I think that's fine now."

"How'd it happen?"

Frowning slightly, he turned his head away. "Long story." By her lack of response, he assumed she wasn't going to leave until he spilled. "Accident."

"Sasuke-kun…" she said gently, leaning closer, "come on. I've been so worried. Please tell me."

He let out a soft sigh. "I was going to skip Monday at school," he said, "so that I could get some more hours done. I was late at that point, so I decided to take my motorcycle." He reached over with his good hand, and picked up a rather large object on the side table. "I wasn't going to wear it," he said, gliding a couple fingers over it, "but…I don't know. I was…"

He trailed off, not continuing. "You what?" she pressed on, though her tone was still quiet.

He gave an uncharacteristic chuckle. "This may sound corny but…" his head spun back around so that they were looking at each other, "I was thinking of you."

Blinking a couple of times, she responded with an, "Eh?" She felt her cheeks grow warm.

"I don't know really," he said, now looking up again. That was probably the most comfortable position for him. "The thought just came to mind. So I put it on. And wouldn't you know…" he sighed again, "that car went through the red light. I can say, I'm proud of my reaction time. So I braked as much as possible, so the thing tipped over, hence, shoulder and wrist."

"Oh…" she replied to his story. Really now, what could she say to that?

"It didn't stop my head from hitting the car though," he brought his good hand to his head, remembering the pain. He closed his eyes.

Sakura smiled slightly. "See? There's no such thing as a curse." She could tell what he was thinking. "You're very much alive and well…sort of. If you don't believe, it won't happen. It's a psychological thing."

Sasuke could feel his healthy hand shaking, before he made it into a tight fist. "I…" The pink haired girl tilted her head to the side in anticipation of what he'd say next. She noticed his shaking hand. "I honestly thought, while I was lying there…"

He barely remembered it, actually. The images were all kind of fuzzy. There were a bunch of people that had come around, though they were all blurry. One of them had been telling him something. What exactly—he couldn't quite remember. The words weren't exactly coherent. But he did remember feeling numb all over. Awfully numb.

"I thought…I was going to die." In haling deeply, he reopened his eyes that were completely glazed over now.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"I was so sure of it. I was going to die. I was…scared. So scared…" his hand had been placed back upon his bandaged forehead.

She remembered another reason why she hated hospitals. They were drowned in the stench…the air of death. "Sasuke-kun…it's okay." These past few days had really put him under emotional stress. She was surprised he hadn't had a breakdown or something. Then again, this was Uchiha Sasuke. But even Uchiha Sasuke was human. "Please don't say that. You aren't going to die anytime soon. You can't…leave me again," she finished quietly, looking at the floor.

His dark eyes fell upon the girl sitting by the bed once again. "S-Sakura?" she looked on the verge of tears. Why was she about to cry? Shouldn't it have been the other way around? Well, he was never one to cry, but supposing it was that way, it should have been the other way around.

"Promise me, okay? Don't even **think** it for a second!"

He sighed. "Aa. If it makes you feel better."

At that moment, a nurse walked in, a tray in her hands. "Oh… You have a visitor, Uchiha? Well it's time to get some rest. Doctor's orders."

Sasuke frowned, all traces of weaker emotion now gone. "I'm fine."

It was Sakura's turn to frown. "Forgive his rudeness. He's a little upset today. That way he can get out of here and back to school as quickly as possible. Right, Sasuke-kun?"

The evil look she'd given him right there made him shrink a little more into the mattress. "Uh…" there weren't many things in the world to make the Uchiha boy have a loss for words. But this certainly did it.

"Good then," the nurse said happily, she set the tray down on a table, placing a needle into a vial of clear liquid. Sakura moved out of the way, so the medic could do her work.

"I'll see you at school in a couple days, okay?" the green-eyed one told the bedridden teen. He nodded, his eyes growing heavy at the anesthetic. Within another ten seconds, he had slipped into unconsciousness. Before she left, Sakura walked over, and placed her hand upon Sasuke's face.

He probably wouldn't have let her do this awake but… His pale complexion was smooth, and his sleeping face looked nothing like he did when he was alert. "Sasuke-kun…" her fingers moved down to his mouth, and eventually she recoiled her hand.

"Sorry," she told the nurse sheepishly. The medic shook her head understandingly.

Exiting the room, she made her way back to the elevator. What room were her parents visiting again?

* * *

**AN: **Gah. What a random chapter. I tried to touch on many pairings, and that's the result I got. Well, reasons why I took so long this time. One, my English and civics homework is pilling up to here. Two, my computer died on me a couple of weeks ago. I didn't get it back for awhile, but I'm glad it's now fine. -hugs computer- Then, it's March break. And I was on a skiing vacation. Which…didn't have much snow so that kind of defeated the purpose. Oh well…

You can so tell I had about zero ideas for this chapter. The only thing I kind of liked was how the teacher bet with their students. Alas. I've had about no inspiration lately. The anime is getting stupider each episode, and there's not much happening in the manga. Plus the lack of Saku/Sasu fics on makes me somewhat sad as well. Don't tell me people are giving up on them! -does long sigh-

I've been watching Black Cat. That is a good show. Too bad it's almost over. I should look into reading the manga of that. Hmm. Now…I must end my procrastination and do civics. And perhaps finish the chapter to my other story that's kind of sitting here. Blah…so much work.


	23. Not Quite Picture Perfect

**Disclaimer:** Me equals own nothing but the slow, slow moving plot.

**Chapter 23**  
**Not Quite Picture Perfect**

Out in the hall, two people were extremely quiet. This was usual for one, but unusual for the other. They sat across from each other, staring down at the floor. Actually, it was more of the objet on the floor, what they were looking at.

A white envelope. It was addressed to Uzumaki Naruto.

With a shaking hand, the blond picked it up. It was like he was eyeing it; seeing if there was a way to read it without opening. No such luck. He took a deep breath. With his index finger, he opened the top. "I can't do it… I can't do it!"

Hinata looked at the boy in front of her. "N-Naruto-kun…" her words were quiet, but he looked up. She gave him a nervous smile.

"Thanks, Hinata." He pulled the sheet of perfect white paper out. It was folded in three. "Here goes nothing." Unfolding it slowly, his eyes scanned over the page. The girl waited patiently, though she was nervous. He'd been talking about this for awhile. His university acceptance letter. She could see those deep blue eyes widen, and watched his fists tighten.

"Oh…Naruto-kun…" she tried to begin, perhaps thinking of a way to cheer him up.

"Yatta! I made it! I made it!" he jumped to his feet and pumped a fist into the air.

The blue haired teen smiled brightly. "That's w-wonderful, Naruto-kun!" she was pulled to her feet, as the blond teen began to dance around in a circle.

"Ha! Kiba, that bastard, thought I wouldn't make it! I showed him!" once again he punched the air. He was a rather happy person to begin with, but it was still slightly unusual to see him like this. "Oh, I'm so going to rub this in his face next time I see him…"

The applications for schools had to be in a long time ago. Ever since then, she'd worked with the two boys to help bring their marks up a bit more. She prayed every night (okay, so almost every night…) that they'd make it in. she was also happy that he'd be with her next year, and hopefully a couple after that as well. She thoughts were temporarily interrupted by her being lifted off the ground. "Ah! N-Na-Na…" She turned a shade of dark red.

"I don't know what I would have done without you. You have to be **the** biggest lifesaver ever!" Naruto spoke twirling the girl around. He was oblivious to her beet-red face. Before making himself dizzy, he set the girl in his arms down. "Oh God, I haven't been able to sleep for days because I knew this was coming. You don't know how much I owe you, Hinata!"

She felt his cool (within respect to hers of course) face rub against hers. If it was humanly possible, she'd have gone redder. It was rather similar to the way a cat would rub against someone. This was a gesture showing affection, though it wasn't all the time he did that, ever since Sakura had slapped him because of it. "Na-Na-Naru…" She'd been doing well with removing the stuttering from her speech. Somehow she feared that this would bring it back.

The blond's eyes opened back up. His face was still firmly against Hinata's. Something irked him though. Maybe it was that murderous aura he was sensing. Strange…

"Naruto, you know better then to cuddle up to Neji's cousin within his field of vision," a girly voice piped up. He recognized it as Tenten's.

Separating from the Hyuuga in question, he turned around to find her very peeved-looking older cousin. His arms were folded plainly over his chest, and both eyebrows were down in a deep frown. "Naruto…" his growl was dangerously low.

The blue-eyed one began to laugh nervously. "Ah, sorry, sorry. I was happy that I got accepted, you know?" Judging by the look he got in return, the male Hyuuga didn't share the same enthusiasm. "Oh lighten up a bit."

"Naruto, just drop it. I don't want to have to clean up blood with Hinata after this," the brunette sighed, shaking her head.

"What have I said about displaying affection, especially physically, in this household? At least if it must be, make it somewhere where no one else may see or hear you. But for you, I'm not so sure how possible that would be."

Naruto decided to challenge the glare he was getting. "Oh please. It was hardly physical. Then again a tap on the shoulder is 'physical' to you. You're nothing but a hypocrite with a large vocabulary."

"Fuuny. I didn't know someone like you even knew what the word 'hypocrite' meant," Neji sneered.

"Would you like me to explain it for you then?" the blond snarled, taking a threatening step closer. "That's when you say one thing, but go against it. Like for instance, you say you hate all this physical interaction crap, and what's that? You're in the lounge all alone except for your girlfriend over there. But of course you're so focused on what's in front of you, you don't manage to see the horrified look I have on, standing at the door."

Unknown to the ranting Naruto, Neji's eye began to twitch. Tenten shook her head half from embarrassment, half from imagining all the blood that was going to be spilt in a second. "N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata tried to stop her friend, but he was too busy trying to tell the other off to heed her warning.

"Then you sort of lean into her while she plays with your hair. And what's this? Hyuuga Neji, human ice cube along with Sasuke, actually likes it? Has the sky fallen yet? Not only that, he has the nerve to kiss her. Now if that isn't physical affection of any kind, I'll eat my foot."

"You won't need to in a second, since I'm going to detach it from your leg and feed it to you," Neji said. One could almost see the steam radiating off him.

"And…wait…Hinata, did you know that there was more? Yes, more then that! After they finally break apart for what must have been something like thirty seconds, he bends down to her ear—" the blond wasn't able to finish, as a punch to the face sent him flying down the slippery tilled floors. "Y-you bastard!"

"N-Neji nii-san!" she gave him a look. So Naruto had pushed to many wrong buttons there, but he'd gone a little over the top with the punch. She ran over to her friend. "Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"

"If you're still in this house in the next twenty seconds, your jaw is going to be the least of your worries," he said angrily with a small flip of his long dark hair.

"Don't forget I've beaten you in a fight before," muttered the blond, still rubbing the side of his face. Though, upon feeling the murderous aura of the Hyuuga once again, he decided that now probably wasn't the best time to pick a fight. "Fine Mr. I-always-must-have-my-way. I'm leaving."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, "I-I think it should be fast." With a quick glance over her shoulder, the two left for the main foyer.

Silence loomed between the two that remained. "That…" Tenten began, growing slightly red, "was rather embarrassing. So much for a secret relationship."

"Honestly, one day, I'm going to wring his neck," Neji continued to frown where his cousin and her obnoxious friend had left.

She placed both her hands upon his shoulders, attempting to massage some of the tension from them. "Don't worry about it so much, Neji-kun," she practically sang out. "Let's get you're mind off it." He looked at her, as if reading her through those pale orbs. But he made no signs of objecting.

* * *

Sometimes there are signs that a day is either going to be really good, or really bad. Today, for instance, was one of those. Though, she wasn't sure whether or not to place it under 'start of good day' or 'start of bad day'. This morning, she woke up and stared out the window to find Naruto and Hinata walking leisurely down the path. It was like they'd always done it. That was how natural it seemed.

Not really knowing what prompted her after that, she decided to use the microwave to defrost some bread. Surprisingly enough, everything went without a flaw. She could use a microwave without breaking it! Really, this was definitely a sign.

Sakura didn't see the point of doing her homework any more. She'd been accepted into the school of her choice. What was there really to work for anymore? It seemed everything was slowly falling into place. Well, more or less everything. Sighing, she flopped down onto the bed. Something…

Her parents had gone out for the day. They'd gone to see her aunt who lived the next town over, just for the sake of seeing her. She hadn't felt like going. Recently, she'd been drained of energy. Perhaps it was all worry. No, she was sure it was worry. She hadn't visited him in a week. She vaguely wondered if he was still there, or he'd gone home and decided to ditch the rest of the school week.

Naruto, or any of the others for that matter, didn't even seem to even take great notice that Sasuke was gone. Perhaps since he was only a new member to their little group. Well, new meaning now he was somewhat sociable. Everyone seemed preoccupied nowadays.

Reaching under her bed, she pulled out her notebooks from last semester. Stuffed in one of them was something she completely forgot she'd had. She smiled at the memory. _Haruno Sakura's List of What Must Be Accomplished _paper, that is. Now that the end of the year was near, perhaps she could check some things off.

The first point, about cleaning her room. She glanced around. It was spotless, well sort of. "Good enough," she muttered, checking it off. Second point…get over 85 in all subjects. That had been an easy task, so she ticked that one off as well.

The pink haired girl paused at the next point. _Get a steady boyfriend. _Frowning at it, she moved on. Honestly, it was embarrassing how far she'd taken that 'get a boyfriend' thing to heart. She wasn't the same annoying and slightly hyperactive girl she was at the start of year.

She checked off the fourth point, since she was already part of the tennis team. The fifth…

Sasuke certainly wasn't like that anymore. Well, for the most part. If she was the main cause of it, only he knew. She checked it off anyway. "Sasuke-kun…" Shaking her head, she continued.

Get over fear of bugs? Like hell that was going to happen.

Well, that had killed a good ten minutes of her life. "What's wrong with me?" she asked her mirror after splashing water onto her face. "Since when have I been all silent and gloomy?" It was the truth. Even her crazed inner-self seemed to have quieted down, or in fact, disappeared completely. It was all to quiet in her mind.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang. Odd. Her parents shouldn't have been home for at least another day and a bit. Other then them, no one used the bell. Then again, no one really came to her house.

Not even bothering to look through the peephole, she unlocked the door and opened it. Her green orbs widened.

The person outside made a face. "I'm not an alien, you know. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

She remained speechless and watched him enter her house without further question. He closed the door behind him, and placed a hand upon his head of dark hair. He was still slightly dizzy after walking so far. Seeing how unresponsive the pink haired teen was being, he frowned. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

"Sasuke-kun!" she finally managed to say, quite loudly at that. He stepped back slightly. Wow, was she ever on some serious mood swings. "How dare you not even bother to check up on me or the others. I was worried sick for the past week, only to have you casually drop in as if it was nothing! You'd better have a mighty darn good excuse, Uchiha Sasuke!"

Now it was his turn to be speechless. Where…had that just come from?

Taking a deep breath, her voice went back to normal. She also put on a very small smile. "I'm sorry. I've been so frustrated lately. It just felt good to yell at someone again. How are you feeling now, Sasuke-kun?"

Yes, mood swings indeed. "Fine," he replied curtly, "I've been at home for awhile, but something just irked me. So I came here, for some reason."

"So, your head is fine now?"

"Pretty much. But I can't do any training for awhile."

She reached up to stroke some dark strands of raven hair. It was soft…just like it was before. "I really want to slap you right now. But I think that can wait until you're 100 percent healed." They both sat down on opposite ends of the kitchen table. "A drink?" she offered as a good hostess.

"Sure, what do you have?" While asking this, he gazed around the room. It'd actually been the first time he'd been in her house.

Opening the refrigerator, she shifted some foods. "Let's see. There's always water, orange juice, milk, some coke… and hard lemonade. But I don't think you want that," she said with a tiny grin stretching across her lips.

He weighed the possibilities for a moment. "No, I think I will have the lemonade."

She raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I'll split it with you. Me being eighteen after all, I'm technically legal drinking age. You, on the other hand…"

"Oh, I think I'll live," Sasuke said accepting the glass she poured. She took the other and raised it slightly. He stared, onyx orbs not quite comprehending her strange actions. Cheers for what? To humor her, he also raised his glass slightly and began to swallow the lemony drink. It was most certainly lemonade with a buzz. This was probably against all 'recovering patients code', but really, you only lived this life once. Perhaps he'd regret it later. Who knew?

* * *

Light was really too bright sometimes. Squinting slightly, he only managed to open his eyes part way. The other senses had to adjust first. Like, around him felt soft, sort of like a bed. And his head; was it **ever** throbbing. Opening his dark eyes a little further, he noted the presence of another figure.

Feeling the weight shift around on her bed, Sakura looked back. "Fully awake there, sleepy-head?" her voice was soft and melodic.

He vaguely remembered things. It was sort of a blur, the coming to her house, drinking the alcohol, and just talking freely with her. How he'd gotten upstairs and totally crashed was a blank. "What time is it?" he asked still somewhat drowsily.

"Seven. You've been out for over three hours. Did you know you look awfully cute when you sleep?" she said, shutting her chemistry textbook. She watched him sit up and look around her room. He still seemed somewhat dazed. "Want something for the pain? Like some NAC or something?"

With another shake of his head, Sasuke stood up. "You keep hangover drugs in your house?"

She frowned slightly. "It isn't a hangover drug. There's no such thing. I'll have you know it's a vitamin supplement, of sorts. I take it when I have a cold. It can reduce your headache, though. It's in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom in the hall." She watched him leave the room, and turned back to her chemistry homework. Somehow knowing he was back to himself (or, sort of) calmed her nerves a little bit.

Opening the mirrored cabinet, Sasuke couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Were they running a drug store or something? He suspected it'd be grouped with the other cold and flu medicines. Sure enough, he pulled out a well-sized white bottle. He turned the cold water knob, so after swallowing the fairly large tablet, he could take a handful of water.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He placed the bottle back in its precise location. Just before closing the cabinet, though, something caught his eye.

Her parents would be home in a couple hours. She'd most likely have to shoo her friend from the house before then. They didn't really live her having people over when they were gone. But her mother was rather fond of the Uchiha boy, apparently. Her mother had been close with his.

"Found everything okay?" she asked upon hearing the squeaking cabinet close. Since he hadn't said anything in reply, she took that as a yes. She tried to look at revising her questions. Ah… but that wouldn't work. She could still feel those churns in her stomach, which made it rather hard to concentrate. 'Guess I can't really hold my liquor either.'

"What's this?" Sasuke's voice seeped into her ears. She raised her eyes to see what he had in his possession. Upon realizing what it was, her face colored slightly, but then it turned back to serious.

"Can't you read?"

He had the urge to roll his eyes. "Let me word that differently for you then. Is this yours?"

"Yeah, it is. So what?"

He threw the small box to her bed. She could see the slight annoyance in his dark eyes. He'd probably want the story that had to go with this one. "Well, I didn't really expect a kid from high school to be carrying Alesse, if you know what I mean. I think you know what I'm going to say."

Sakura sighed, taking up the prescription drug, and setting it beside her. "It's not what you think. It's just a safety precaution. It's…a long story, really."

He came and sat next to her on the bed. "Well? I have time."

"Okay, okay," the pink haired girl said, looking up to the ceiling. "It was few years ago, when I was still back in Sunagakure. There was this place where they were having a party…"

_Temari and Sakura walked in before the blonde's two brothers. This certainly looked like the place. One of the upperclassmen's fathers owned the bar, and permitted his son to use the place for the big party he planned on having._

"_Ah, I've never been to a party before," Sakura said nervously, fiddling with her straight pink hair. She wore a knee-length black skirt and a pale green sleeveless top. She looked up to her blonde friend who was busy observing the place._

"_It's pretty crowded already," the other commented over the noise of the music. There was a DJ who had just put on some music until he was ready to get the party started. "Hey, Gaara, cover Pinky's back. We don't want her to do something stupid, right?"_

"_Hey! That's mean! Just because I'm not always one that thinks things through doesn't mean I need a personal bodyguard," the pink haired one protested._

"_I was going to without you telling me," replied the redhead. Sakura gave up in trying to convince him otherwise. Once Gaara's mind was made up, there certainly was no changing it. _

_The place started to get into the swing of things. It really was a tame kind of party. There were free drinks (non-alcoholic of course) that the foursome totally took advantage of. Sakura had met a bunch of new people from the next town over, that had been invited. They seemed quite friendly. Though, her unofficial bodyguard had sent them extremely murderous looks before they left. _

"_You could try to be a little nicer, Gaara nii-chan. What's wrong with these people?" she asked after getting another Shirley Temple._

"_It's because they look at you in 'that' way," Kankuro replied for his younger brother._

"_No they don't. Trust me. I could tell. Women's intuition, you know?" she replied childishly. Gaara just continued to look impassively at the pink haired teen. "Anyway, I'm going to talk to them," she said, pointing to a table where one of the men whom she'd recently met was waving. _

_As instructed, the redhead followed behind, while the older brother went off to find his sister. Sakura bumped into a girl on her way over. "Oh, excuse me," she apologized politely._

"_Hey, Sakura," the girl was a classmate of hers, Namie, "have you seen my sister? She was here a second ago…" The voice of the brunette was partially panicky. Her twin sister, Naomi, always seemed to be getting lost somewhere._

"_Nope, sorry. I'll let you know if I do though." The girl thanked her, and continued on her way, calling out the name of her sister. The emerald eyed one continued on her way to the table where four males sat. Two were from her school, the others from another. "Hey guys!"_

"_Nice to see you again, Haruno-san," one of the ones from her class said with a tiny wave._

"_You too, Kosuke-kun," she replied with a smile. She set her drink down on the table, being slightly pressed against it due to the congestion of the place. She felt a tap on her shoulder._

"_Hello, fancy meeting you here, Sakura-san," another boy from her class, Ken greeted. His smile was warm, and his pale blue hair was perfect as always. That was so like him._

"_Yes, a small world, isn't it?" she turned to him, as he tried to spark up a conversation. In the mean time, Gaara was silently looking around. He noticed one of the boy's sitting at the table slip something out of his pocket. Supposing that no one was looking (the redhead was hidden well behind the two who were currently conversing) he slipped some powder inside Sakura's drink. Being a rather opaque drink, nothing was noticeable._

_Gaara caught the eye of his sister, who'd just walked up with a slight wave. She gave him an understanding nod. She cut into the two's conversation. "Heeeey there, Ken. You aren't trying to con my friend into another date, are you?" The male laughed nervously, then excused himself. Temari and Ken didn't exactly get along, after all. _

_The blonde picked up her friend's drink. "You know, Sakura, it's never wise to leave your glass unattended. Who knows what losers like this will put in it." With a frown, she dumped the contents on the man's head. He yelped in surprise, wiping the liquid from his eyes._

"_You bitch!" he said, standing up, face flaming red partially from embarrassment and partly from anger, "How **dare** you spill something on me purposely. Do you **know** who I am?"_

"_Not a clue," she replied truthfully, stepping in front of the pink haired girl so she couldn't try and stop her. "But anyone who tried to drug my friend deserves more punishment then just getting their hair wet. I should have fed it to you and see what would have happened. Now get out of here before I send my brother to kill you, oh, and he'll do it."_

_Gaara cracked his knuckles, and continued to glare menacingly at the guy who'd tried to pull that trick. He just growled, and motioned to his friend to stand up. "Let's get out of here. This party blows anyway."_

"_Bye, don't come back now," Temari told their backs._

"_Um…" Sakura, who'd stayed quiet during the small fight spoke up, "Thanks. I don't know what I'd have done without you guys."_

"_That's why little bro is here," the blonde said, placing both hands on the shoulders of her brother, who was significantly shorter then she was. The females laughed._

"_Okay, guys, not funny anymore. I honestly can't find her," Namie came running up to the four of them (Kankuro had magically appeared). "I have this super bad feeling…really I do."_

"_Whoa, whoa, calm down a second," Temari tried to soothe the close-to hyperventilating teenager. "One, she could be anywhere moving around like you are. I'm sure she's fine."_

"_No, no she's not. Chris said she saw her leave with a man. Someone from elsewhere, around twenty in age, or something. We have this kind of bond, you know. When one feels sad, so is the other, type-thing." Her face was starting to sweat, and that's when she kneeled over in pain. "Naomi…she's hurting. Really badly."_

"_We'll look for her!" Sakura said in determination. "This is important to you. We'll find her. And if no one's backing me up, I'll look myself."_

"_We didn't say we weren't coming, Sakura-san," Kankuro replied._

"_Yeah! Obviously we're going to help. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't help someone in dire need?" Temari replied heroically, marching for the door. She was followed by her twin, then Sakura who was comforting Namie some more, then Gaara who followed wordlessly, and arms crossed. _

_Outside smelt of fresh rain. The ground was wet, and a thin fog hung over the area. It was dark out, and there were three ways they could go. "I'll go with Namie," Temari announced, taking the right, "Kankuro, you go straight, and Sakura and Gaara shall go left."_

"_Got it Sis. Just yell if you find anything," the brunet said, running off down the darkened street. The remaining four split off after that._

_Some of the buildings were still full of life. They made sure to check every alley in between them. They were simply greeted with trashcans every time. They must have been at it for a good five minutes, and where about seven buildings down. "This doesn't look good, nii-chan," the pink haired girl commented, stepping out of the alley. "They could be anywhere."_

_Moving over to the next passageway, the redhead spoke up. "Stop," he commanded. She did as was told. "Something's moving down there." With a tiny 'meep', Sakura ran behind her appointed bodyguard, and followed him like glue. She could see something by the dumpsters moving. Oh God…could it be…_

_Gaara moved a bag of trash away. There was a raccoon, little beady eyes reflecting whatever light shone in its eyes. It scurried off after about five seconds. Sakura let out a sigh. So it hadn't been Naomi. She was partly disappointed and relieved. "I'm sort of glad it wasn't her…"_

"_Shh!" he hushed. He could have sworn he'd heard something just then._

_Listening carefully, something sounded like, "Hey! I think I found something!" off in the distance. "Is that Kankuro-san's voice?" she wondered aloud. "Let's go."_

_The two of them retraced their steps and found their way back to the bar. Apparently Temari and Namie has also heard the other's voice, since they cam running at the same time. "Hey, Kankuro! Where are you?" the blonde one called out for her brother._

"_Here," he replied from somewhere a little further down. They found him standing in front of an alleyway. "Hey, glad you heard me alright. I saw two people, one being dragged. When I called out, they went in here, and one jumped over that wall. You think…"_

_Before he could finish his verbal thoughts, Namie was already moving some trash bags around. "Naomi! Naomi! Hey, answer me, sis!" Moving a little further in, she felt something odd under her foot. Almost like an arm, or something. "Oh…God…"_

_The other two females were already over. "Here, take my sweater," Temari said, untying the black garment from her waist. She lay it over the unconscious female. Sakura checked for a pulse, which thankfully was still there. "One of you, call an ambulance or something!"_

"_Already done," Gaara said, looking back._

"_Nee-san," a voice called weakly. The injured girl's eyes opened part way. Namie gripped her sister's hand, which she tried to extend as best she could. "I'm…sorry for…worrying you. Nee-san…" and she slipped into unconsciousness once more._

"So cutting out the details that my oh so innocent ears heard after that, she was fine for the most part. But, it turns out she was rapped by one of those upperclassmen. She'd been drugged so to this day she still doesn't know," Sakura said, putting a finger thoughtfully to her lips. "It…sounds rather stupid to have told you the whole story. But you know…she did end up pregnant."

At this, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Certainly he knew such things happened in the world (like there were about ten shows on television every day about this type of thing) but it didn't really seem possible until he'd heard it from someone who'd experienced it firsthand. Well, firsthand to the point of it being someone she knew.

"You don't realize what a big scare that gave all of us, Sasuke-kun. I wasn't the only one…" she said, glancing at the tablet box on her bed once more. "But I think you can figure out the rest."

The Uchiha, who'd been sitting on the floor for the length of her story, stood up, back facing her. "Get rid of them," he said flatly.

"Eh?" Her emerald eyes blinked once.

He turned his face to her. "I said get rid of them. You don't need it anymore. Because you have everyone here who'll protect you. When it's needed, of course."

"Oh?" Sakura asked, standing up, "how can you be certain of that?" She'd noticed his eyes had been black. Perhaps his sharingan was activated behind the contact lenses. It must have been hurting his eyes.

Sasuke gently placed his hands over her petite shoulders. "I can't be certain. The only thing I can be certain of, is that…I'll always be there. When you need it."

Her face flushed a little bit at hearing his words. She placed a hand against his forehead, brushing away some raven colored hair. "Are you feeling well?"

"Never felt better," he replied rather softly, well aware that they were mere centimeters apart.

This, Sakura thought, was the time for something to happen. Come on, telephone! Ring, or something. Though, unlike last time, nothing did. Their lips met. Her body told her brain…this is what it'd been longing for awhile now. Uchiha Sasuke.

They stood there, both caught in the moment, and both equally not totally sure of what to do next. They hadn't yet broken away from the kiss.

Well, until there was a knock on the door. "Sakura, are you in there?" a voice that sounded like her mother's was heard through the door. Both rather surprised, they jumped apart. Her mom had spectacular timing.

Sakura took a quick look at Sasuke, who'd opened the window and had half his body already outside. "Bye," he mouthed and slipped onto the tree branch. He was engulfed in darkness, and she couldn't see his shadow very well either.

As she continued to look where the boy had disappeared, her room door opened. "Ah, Sakura, you should answer me when I talk to you," her mother scolded. "What are you looking at?"

"Hmm? Nothing." The pink haired teen walked over to her bed. "Welcome home, Mom." Her mother just looked at her daughter. Certainly she was a strange little thing. With a shake of her head, she exited the room. 'Close call,' Sakura thought, putting her hand to her mouth. She'd imagined that the setting would have been a little more romantic if she'd ever kissed the Uchiha boy. But one can't be picky, right?

Perhaps she'd throw them away. After all, Sasuke was a very persuading person.

Get a steady boyfriend.

Maybe she'd check that off.

* * *

**AN: **-dies at OOC-ness- Ah well. It's the second last chapter. I can't be picky. Sorry it was so late, by the way. In the past month I've had a final exam, about 3 huge English projects (which I probably did horrible on, since English is a load of crap) and I've been away for over a week. So that is my sad little life story that no one cares about. Point being, the chapter came eventually.

I honestly don't know what I was thinking while writing that flashback. I've watched too many Law & Order SVU episodes. I think everyone knows (or could figure out) what Alesse is. Anyway, it's not that important. I just needed something to put there.

Well, next chapter is the last one. Yup. Abrupt ending I know. I'm really bad at ending long stories…I find. Must work on that. There's really no plot left anyway. So I'm just going to wrap it all up in a nice little package next time. So onward to the review button!


	24. That’s Life

**AN:** I first posted this fic April 23rd, 2005. Seems like such a long time ago. Well, it was. (Exactly 1 year and 2 months to this day.) I'm surprised I managed to keep this alive for 24 chapters and have it over a year. It's funny, though. I remember that at the time, there must have been a grand total of 10 high school Naruto stories. Now they appear like there's no tomorrow.

So what can I say? It's been a bumpy ride. But hey. It's over now. (Oh my goodness, finally!) I feel so accomplished! I think everyone deserves a big hug! All my reviewers, readers, those who favorited, yada yada. Thanks for sticking with me! Love you all!

So now it's okay. Go yell at me for making this chapter so late. Just wanted to actually do my exams and isps. They took up all my time. So sorry. (Oh. And I couldn't upload anything recently. Used the export feature instead...which worked, as you can tell.) I really did rush in writing this ending. So it sucks. Hah. I'm no good at endings anyway so… whatever. Just one little thing. Later in the chapter talks about someone named Sachiko. Those who watch NANA will know who she is. But other then that, don't worry about it. So, with that,I bid you all farewell.

**Chapter 24  
That's Life **

It isn't until one actually sits down and thinks about it that they realize that humans are really just animals at heart. It's seen as 'funny' or sometimes 'strange' when you see a dog going to fetch a stick, or a cat chasing its tail. But this is just a game. And really, humans are very similar. In fact, if they had tails, they'd probably chase them, just for kicks.

So, now, games that humans play, like tennis for example; can it not just be thought of as a creative way to waste time? All that's happening is that people hit a ball back and forth over a net. When you analyze this, it suddenly seems so very pointless. It is just a way to pass time.

But when your actually running around like a chicken with its head cut off chasing after that stupid bright green ball, one tends not to think about things like that.

"Match!" called the blonde girl from the other side of the net. Breathing heavily, Sakura slumped to her knees like she'd wanted to for the past five minutes. Ino did the same.

"Good game," the pink haired teen managed to say. She got a nod in return. "Though it was the tie breaking round. So we're still pretty much equal." She used her racket to steady herself and went to fetch the ball that had bounced all the way down to the other side of the courts.

"Yeah, but this game…was important," the other also rose to her feet shakily. She walked over to where her water bottle lay and took a long swig. "Between us, I'm now one ahead. A perfect way to end off the high school season, if I do say so myself."

Sakura tossed the ball in the blonde's direction. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say." She flopped down on the bench and wiped her forehead using the black sweatband around her wrist. She could hear footsteps outside the court area. She knew already whom they belonged to.

"Hey girls," Tenten said, sticking her head in. "They wanna close up now. It is Sunday after all." She had her hockey stick slung over her right shoulder and a small gym bag over the other.

"Yes, yes. But just wait a little while. It could very well be the last time we get to do this," Ino commented, placing the cover back over her tennis racket. The other two didn't say anything; she might very well have been right.

"Time flies. Who knew we'd be graduating…tomorrow?" the brunette said with a slight smile. Her friends agreed with a nod.

"You're really leaving then, Tenten?" the pink haired one turned to the girl in question as she asked. "Really leaving the country to go to school?"

"If all goes well, then yes. It's just that…sometimes Konoha gets a little small. There is a whole world out there, after all."

"Oh? What do you mean if all goes well?"

She made a light chuckling sound. "You'll see. If all goes well of course."

Again, silence filled the almost empty gym. "Well, let's get going then," the blonde suggested, then lead the others out. They passed one of the caretakers that were locking up the center. "Thanks again for letting us stay late."

"No problem, ladies," the short man replied, "you enjoy the rest of the day."

The three friends continued on their way, keeping up a light conversation. Upon reaching the stairs that led down to the main part of town, Ino turned to her two friends. "I'm off then. See you two later." Just before stepping into the shadows, Uchiha Sasuke emerged. "Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun," she chirped. He gave a mere nod in reply. But she just smiled. It was foolish to chase after someone whom she knew could never be hers. While she could very well beat the pink haired teen at tennis, she couldn't beat her at his heart. So she continued out of sight.

"Sasuke-kun! You're home from work already?" exclaimed Sakura, walking over and taking both of the Uchiha's hands. She gave a charming smile, which he did not return. Instead, he glanced sideways. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Sakura. We need to talk," he said quietly. He glanced over at Tenten, who was still standing there. "Now would be preferable."

"Oh…now?" she repeated, the grin falling off her face. It was rare when Sasuke said that they 'needed to talk'. "But…she was coming over to my place now to help with the final planning for some things tomorrow." The pink haired one also looked back at her friend.

She seemed to have gotten the hint. "Ah, I see. I'll make myself scarce then. We can reschedule it for later tonight. Seven-ish."

"That's fine, I guess, but what are you going to do in the mean-time?"

"Oh…I'm not sure. Probably to go see how my favorite Hyuuga cousins are holding up," Tenten said with a wave her hand.

"Why, what's happening there?" Sakura questioned.

"I think uncle-dearest is giving the two the pre-university pep talk. You know, 'I know you both are responsible teens but we should go over that drugs equals bad and sex before marriage is also a no and these rules must always be followed'. And so on."

The other female chuckled. "Sounds fun. Isn't it a bit early for them to be talking about it, though?" The brunette shrugged. "Well, save them well."

"I'll try," she replied, hoisting her gym bag once again over her shoulder. She waved good-bye to the couple and set off at a jogging pace to the Hyuuga compound.

They watched her back for a moment before turning to each other. "Here, let's go sit somewhere," the pink haired girl grabbed the other's hand and led him towards the bushes. She moved some out of the way and came across the old park. She hadn't visited it much. By the looks of it, neither had anyone. The vines were beginning to climb up the swings, and moss had grown on the metal poles. Despite all that, Sakura sat down on them anyway, tearing off some of the overgrowing plant. Sasuke did the same. "So then… what's up?"

His dark eyes looked to the ground. He was very silent for awhile, almost as if he was debating whether or not to speak at all. After about a minute, he spoke. "I found him."

The other, knowing exactly who he was talking about, tilted her head to the side. "Really? Where?"

"A few towns over. He's supposedly laying low. But…" He clenched the chains on the swing until his knuckles turned whiter then they originally were.

Silence loomed over the two once again. It was something that usually happened. After all, the Uchiha wasn't much of a chatterbox. The girl began to swing slightly. There was a little creak every time she rocked. "So…what are you going to do about it, then?" He looked up at her. She in turn was staring at her feet. "I mean, you're not the type to sit there and do nothing."

"I…guess…" he replied, finally taking his eyes off her. "I think I'm going there. Get the half of my inheritance by myself. After all, it isn't long until I'm eighteen." He noticed the wide green eyes staring almost bewilderedly at him. "What?"

"By yourself? Are you sure?" she asked, standing up. He didn't answer. "I mean really. What happened when Itachi came here…you know… Well point being you weren't fine alone."

"Sakura," the raven haired teen cut in and prevented her from saying more, "it's fine. Besides, I'm not going to be protected by a girl ever again."

She smiled at his stubbornness. "You…are just so…" she pressed her forehead against his, "so…I don't even have the word for it. I guess that's one of the reasons why I like you so much. When do you leave, then?"

Sasuke broke their small embrace at the question. He glanced sideways again. "The day after grad."

* * *

Naruto pulled the blinds aside and peered out the window. It was almost time. Then he saw what he was looking for. It was slowly making its way down the road. He broke out into a grin and rushed to the mirror one final time. He fixed his unruly blond hair, and straightened his tie. 

"Alright, Naruto. It's ShowTime," he told himself, before grabbing his suit jacket and walking outside his apartment. Down waiting on the street was a black stretch-limo. The chauffeur was waiting at the door. "Oh, wow. I'm so glad I'm graduating!" he exclaimed. The door was opened for him, and he took a seat at the very back of the vehicle.

He was the first person inside, so while the driver went to the next location, Naruto searched around the exquisite limo. Champagne glasses lined the shelf near the front. There were also two televisions mounted on the sides. "I could get used to this," he said, making himself comfortable on the leather seats.

The limo started to pull further down the street. It wasn't too long before it stopped again. Naruto knew exactly whose house this was. "Whoa, spiffy car," a male voice said.

When Inuzuka Kiba stepped into the main part of the vehicle, the other decided to joke around a bit. "Hello Kiba. What do you think of my wheels?"

"Are you insane?" the brunet asked with a frown, sitting on one of the seats against the wall. "One, it isn't yours. It's temporarily all of ours, since we all chipped in. And two, don't say it in that tone. It sounds like you're trying to seduce someone. That's very scary." To further prove his point, he scooted away.

"Ha! That isn't my seductive voice," the blond retorted and added a nod of his head. "My seductive voice is more like: Helllllo, Kiba."

It was at that moment that they both noticed that the limo had stopped again and Shino had just walked through the door. He gazed at the two through his dark shades then proceeded to sit as far away as humanly possible from the others.

"I am officially scared for life," the Inuzuka said, turning away. "I think my ears are bleeding. Oh, GOD! My sensitive ears!"

"Really, what are you going on about? The party hasn't even started and you're already losing it," a feminine voice called from outside. Everyone turned to see Tenten enter. The sole female noticed the stares she was getting. "What?" After saying this, she sat.

"Wow. Do you ever look weird!" exclaimed Kiba. This earned him a nice punch in the jaw.

The blond, who was going to say something similar to the latter, decided to rephrase. "Nothing. Just didn't expect you to wear a slim-fitting, long red dress," Naruto commented, staring out the window.

"Humph," she folded her bare arms, "Not like it was my choice. Stupid dress code was black tie only."

The limo stopped again, this time, in front of a duplex. The chauffeur walked around to open the door. The passengers could hear some screams. They sounded very much along the lines of, "Shikamaru! Get your ass out here NOW!" Sure enough, about thirty seconds later, the lazy brunet climbed (except it was more like pushed) into the car. Ino followed, ridding her hands of invisible dust in the process. Her scowl faded when she saw the other female. "Hey, nice outfit."

"Thank you," the other commented sweetly. "At least people can compliment, instead of saying 'Wow. You look weird'." She glared at the Inuzuka boy, who was still rubbing his jaw. He made sure to glare back.

Lee came next, wearing (much to everyone's surprise) a black suit. "Good evening fellow youths of Konoha. Doesn't everyone just look marvelous today?" he exclaimed loudly, sitting near the front of the car.

"Hey, Lee, what happened to your green suit?" questioned Tenten.

"Ah, unfortunately I wore it to a previous engagement a few days ago, and a careless guest ran into me and spilt red wine all over it. It was a most tragic scene! So it's still at the cleaners. Alas, I had to settle for this suit."

The conversations died down slightly, after they picked up Chouji. There was more of a pause between the last stop and the next. When the vehicle did stop, the person didn't even wait for the chauffeur to come around. "Hey! Hey!" protested Naruto upon seeing what his best friend was wearing. "I thought this was black tie! How come he doesn't have to wear a tie?"

"Keep your socks on, dumbass," Sasuke said, sitting next to him. He pointed to his neck. "It's right here. I just haven't tied it yet."

"Not that it matters," muttered Ino to Tenten.

"Yeah," the other female agreed, "When Sakura's done with him it's going to be the first thing off." Then they both laughed, which earned them a glare from the Uchiha. This only made them chuckle more.

"Kah," the blond male said, putting a hand to his forehead in a dramatic fashion, "what has the world come to? Sasuke speaking so openly about his relationship with Sakura-chan? I don't believe it."

"Will you all just shut up about it?" Sasuke said forcefully. Of course, this was grad night. So no one was really in a serious mood. They just laughed or smirked. Though, when the vehicle pulled up in front of the cherry haired girl's house, they all quieted down.

"Hey guys," she greeted, holding up her long black dress so she wouldn't trip. It was then when she noticed that the two other females were doing a very bad job at containing their laughter. "Did I miss something funny?"

"Nope. Nothing," everyone replied simultaneously, other then Naruto, who decided to speak the truth and ended up answering, "Yes you did." Most people turned and gave a kind of glare. But Sakura simply kept on her smile. She took a seat in between her boyfriend and the blond teen.

"Well then, Naruto. I guess that means you wouldn't mind telling me what that funny thing was, right?" she said sweetly. Her smile broadened at the nervous look the other was giving.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, much like a fish out of water. Then he began to stutter, "Th-that is…well, u-um…h-hey! Look! It's Hinata!" He pointed to the door that opened in front of the Hyuuga manor.

The female walked in first. She wore a black knee-length dress, but wore a white jacket over top, which was zipped all the way up to her neck. Also, the back of her dark hair that usually stuck out awkwardly was flattened down. She mumbled a tiny hello before siting down at the closest seat, which was next to the silent Shino. Her cousin walked in shortly after. He didn't spare a greeting, just sat in between the still laughing females. "You're in a good mood. When was the last time you laughed this much?" he asked, loosening the collar of his perfectly white shirt.

"I don't know. And it wasn't even that funny," Tenten managed to say with giggles in between. Maybe it was tonight in general that was making everyone act differently. Well, not so much differently. More like… excited.

Thankfully for Naruto, though, Sakura seemed to have forgotten about him. "Hey, Hinata. What's with the jacket?"

The shy girl looked from side to side for some sort of help. But two of the females were waiting for her answer, and most other people had taken up small conversations. Then the usual silent ones weren't going to be of much help. "U-um…" she replied, quickly trying to think of an excuse, "it's just that…I'm…um, cold."

"That's complete b.s. and you know it. It's five thousand degrees outside," Ino added in. The pink haired one nodded in agreement. At this, the girl in question stayed silent, simply fingering the zipped of her coat. "Hey, cousin of hers. Why does she have a jacket on?" The male Hyuuga was interupted from his conversation with Tenten and Lee. He shrugged, then went back to this little group. "Well, anyway, we'll find out sooner or later. You can't keep that thing on forever, you know."

Before any of them knew it, they were outside a rather large building. It was a banquet hall. It was here where the graduation ceremony would take place, then a dinner, then (most certainly) a dance. Then there would probably be an after-party. But that was another matter.

Since there were exactly twice the number of males then there were females in their little group, the guys would double-up in escorting the ladies. Ino was the first to exit, a bored-looking Shikamaru on one arm, Chouji on the other. Next was Hinata, Shino silently offering one arm, Kiba (who'd so conveniently elbowed a certain blond out of the way) took the other. Sakura was the next out, Sasuke on her right, and the currently in pain Naruto on the left. The other three exited last.

"Such elegance!" exclaimed Lee, when stepping inside the venue. "I can tell we shall all have quite a wonderful time just by the appearance! Isn't it remarkable, Tenten, Neji?"

"Yes, it certainly is, Lee," the brunette replied, "You're right. I do think that many wonderful things will happen tonight." She looked at the male on her right, who had stayed quiet. He just shrugged. But she assumed he thought so as well.

* * *

"Well all things considered, tonight's been better then I expected it to be," Ino commented sipping whatever was left of her mocktail. The only ones left at the round dinner table she was sitting at were Sakura, who was sharing a chair with Sasuke, and Shikamaru, who's head was on the table as if he was sleeping. Which he wasn't. But he really wished he were… 

It was only around ten, so most people were still on the dance floor, or relieving their ears out in the hall. Then there were the people who left to go to another party, where they could get drunk. Well, there were already some that were drunk at this party, so it didn't really matter much.

"Yeah. Makes you kind of sad that high school's over. I always thought I'd be glad it was done so I could grow up…but I guess not," the pink haired girl replied, stealing a glance at the Uchiha. He seemed to be ignoring the conversation, since his gaze was elsewhere. "Anyway. It was fun while it lasted."

"I guess it was. What do you think, Shika?" the other said, turning to the lazy Nara genius. He seemed to ignore her question, and continued to 'sleep'. She took a rolled up program and prodded him with it. Even this didn't get his attention. The blonde sighed. She really hoped it wouldn't have had to come to this but… Taking his almost empty glass of water, she dumped whatever was left over his head.

At this, Sakura couldn't hold in a laugh. Hearing this, the Uchiha turned to observe the scene. He emitted a small smirk, then turned his head away again. Shikamaru, on the other hand, stayed in the same position for a moment. Then, he turned his head towards the blonde. With an irritated sigh, he asked, "Are you going to be bugging me like this all through university too?"

"You'd better believe that, Shika-kun," she said as a matter-of-factly. He simply sighed in return, and turned his head back to where it was before the interruption.

"Oh, look. The idiots are back," Sakura heard her boyfriend's voice. She turned her head to see a threesome walking towards the table. Naruto had a glass in one hand, Hinata on the other. A similar situation held true for Kiba. The girl had long abandoned her white jacket, which had originally served to cover part of her low-cut dress. All three of them seemed pretty well drunk. This statement could be proven, seeing that the blond seemed to have said something (funny or not) and the usual quiet Hyuuga burst out into hysterical laughter.

Sakura tilted her head to the side and glanced at the glasses in her friends' hands. Then she turned to Sasuke. "Didn't you tell them that the punch was spiked?"

"I did. But either Naruto didn't remember, or he's deaf," the other replied.

"Heeeeeey! Saaaakura-chyyyyyan!" the blond-in-question waved, spilling some of the red liquid on the carpeted floor. "You gotta try this stuff. It's amazing!"

"Yeah! I was the one who found it!" exclaimed Kiba, a little louder than usual.

"You did not! I was definitely the one who found it!" retorted Naruto.

"No way in hell! You know it was me! You're just jealous!"

"Ah! You both are making my head spin! Shut up already!" Hinata yelled, covering her ears.

"Now look what you've done, you bastard! You made Hinata's head hurt!" the blond yelled, not realizing the volume he was using.

"How was that my fault? It's yours, face it!" the brunet shouted back.

Sakura looked at the raven haired teen. His look read: don't look at me. With a sigh, she rose from her chair and walked over to the wasted trio. "Alright people. That's enough booze for one night," she said in an authoritative tone, taking away the glasses from Naruto and Kiba. She also pried them off the other female. "Oh jeez. Look at you all. If the teachers weren't smashed as well, you'd have been on your way home already. Hinata, Hinata…what's your father going to say about this?"

"Oh well. Screw what Father thinks! Why can't I ever do what I want to do? It just isn't fair sometimes, y'know? Maybe one day I should just go and tell him to lay off. What do you think, Sakura?" the female Hyuuga asked, stumbling away from the two males.

"I think you won't be saying those things in the morning," the pink haired girl said in reply. She sighed at the thought of having to deal with the three of them through university as well. What a complicated love triangle. "Sasuke-kun, you take care of those two! Sober them up if you have to. I'm going to bring this one to her cousin. He can decide what he wants to do with her." The Uchiha nodded, looking at the two drunks, who were still bickering. At that moment, he felt very much like a babysitter.

Sakura took the other girl's arm and put it over her shoulder so she could at least walk straight. They walked towards the back of the hall. She hadn't spotted Neji anywhere in the music-filled room, so he might have gone outside to relieve his ears. Her emerald eyes gazed around the foyer. She found who he was looking for, leaning against the wall. Though, he was accompanied by none other then Tenten. "Hey! Look! There he—" Sakura had to clamp a hand on Hinata's mouth. So far the two hadn't noticed the (so to say) spying females. Sakura didn't want to spoil the moment either. She could make out what they were saying, since they still had to talk over the music.

"So, did you get it?" Tenten asked excitedly, with a clap of her hands.

"I don't know. You tell me. Ladies first," the male Hyuuga replied.

She looked somewhat miffed, but shrugged it off. "Well. I kept up my end of the bargain. Look here," she said proudly, reaching into a black purse. She flashed two slips of paper, of what Sakura couldn't tell from her position.

After placing back in her purse, she waited for whatever Neji had. "Well, I guess then I can give you these," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of keys. The girl looked positively delighted at this. "A penthouse. Consider yourself lucky."

She smirked. "I do love loaded men." From there on then, they closed the distance left between them.

Sakura didn't seem to notice that she'd uncovered Hinata's mouth. She found this out when she exclaimed: "Hey! Nii-san and Tenten are making out. That's crazy! Don't you think?"

Unfortunately, this was loud enough for the pair to hear. Upon noticing their 'audience', they immediately broke apart. "Ah, I'm sorry to interrupt," the pink haired teen apologized, "but, err, Neji…I'm wondering what to do about your cousin." He looked at the girl in question, who waved back. "She's a little…well… shall we say, intoxicated."

His eyes narrowed. "Who was it? I'll kill them."

"Well, whoever put alcohol in the punch is to blame. I just didn't know what you wanted me to do with her."

"I say just leave her until the limo comes to pick us up," the brunette piped up. "See, if she goes home now, Uncle-dearest will have a fit. But he should be asleep by the time they come home. This way, she can go to bed and be normal in the morning. Well, normal with a headache."

"Sounds good to me," the other two replied simultaneously.

"Bah! You guys are all boring. No fun. All you do is talk. I'm leaving!" the drunk female informed the little group before marching off.

Neji sighed. "I'll go." He jogged off after his stumbling cousin.

This left the two females alone. They were silent for awhile, before Sakura decided to speak. "They look like they're having fun, despite everything. I guess that's good."

"Yeah," the other agreed, "It's a good thing it's a full moon. The one day of the month where the Byakugan doesn't appear. Couldn't have asked for better luck, I don't think." The other nodded, and the silence between the two returned.

Finally giving into her curiosity, Sakura asked her question. "Sorry for eavesdropping earlier…but what was it that you guys had?"

"Oh…that," Tenten said, showing her the pair of keys that were still in her hand. She gave them over so her friend could get a better look. "Remember when you asked me earlier if I was going away to study? Well…the answer is yes. But the place is overseas, so I wasn't sure if I could get somewhere to stay, since God knows I don't have the money for residence. But it turns out that Neji was looking at going there too. So he bought a place for the two of us there."

"Oh? Staying in the same house already? Why, you're practically engaged now," the pink haired girl teased. It earned her a punch on the arm.

"Well, what about you and Uchiha? It's been, what, two months now? I'm surprised he hasn't asked you to marry him yet. But I suppose there's still time for that. What's happening for university with him? He staying with you here in the city?"

At this, her green eyes gazed at the floor. Her friend didn't know about the situation with his brother. Nor was she about to tell her. "Oh…he says he's…going away for awhile. I don't know how long though."

"Oh…that sucks," the brunette replied, folding her arms. She noticed that her friend still looked saddened at the though. She put a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about it. I can tell he really likes you, Sakura. He's not going to cheat on you with Sachiko while you're away."

The other laughed. "I guess. Shall we go back inside?" Sakura suggested. Tenten nodded, and they went back into the hall. It was at that moment that she realized something. "Tenten, who's Sachiko?"

"Huh? Oh, a girl from a drama I'm watching. Never mind that comment."

Sakura would have said something more, but her friend wandered off. Not exactly trusting what the other had said, she walked over to Sasuke. He was currently sitting back in his chair, keeping watch over Naruto and Kiba, who were on the floor, still bickering.

"Sasuke-kun, who's Sachiko?" she asked quite sternly.

He looked bewilderedly at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Never mind."

* * *

Sakura struggled to keep her hair down as a strong gust of wind blew by. Though it was summer, she was feeling rather cold. Subconsciously, she wrapped her arms around herself. 

"You're cold?" asked Sasuke, who walked up behind her. He tossed her his helmet.

"A little…" she replied. She watched in silence as he affixed a bag to the back of his motorcycle.

"How come? It's warm out today?" He didn't actually look back at her and wait for an answer. He just kept at his previous task. However after awhile of her unresponsiveness, he sighed, knowing exactly what this was about. "Look. My mind's made up."

She sighed. "I know that. I just wish there was a better way to do this."

"I'll be fine. So stop acting like a mother hen." At this comment, she couldn't help but smile and shake her head. When he was done with fastening his bag, he finally turned to her. "I'm not going that far. Just a few cities over. My family owned a few places over there, so it'll be fine."

"Yeah…" she replied uncertainly. The Uchiha reached for his helmet, but she didn't let go. "I just… well, feel rather useless. I want to do something. Anything. Something to help you." Her green eyes stared downwards at her feet.

Using his thumb, Sasuke tilted her head up so that she was looking at him. "Look. There are some battles that I need to fight by myself. You've done enough. More than enough for me. So just sit this one out and wait for me, okay?"

Sakura thrust the helmet into his chest, then took a few steps backward. "That must have been the corniest thing you've ever said. Quite the cliché. Sweet, but cliché nonetheless."

"Is it?" he asked, though it was more of a statement to himself. "I don't know. I think it was from an anime rerun that was on a few nights ago."

The pink haired teen chuckled at this. "No wonder. I don't think it's possible for you to think up something like that on your own. No offense. So…was that the equivalent of an 'I love you' or something?"

He smirked. "I'll leave that up to you to decide." He walked over to his bike, and set the helmet down on the seat. With his head, he motioned for the girl to come next to him. She did so wordlessly. "It's about time I get going so… I'm not going to say goodbye. We didn't the first time. Because 'goodbye' is for someone who you'll never see again. Just stick with a 'see you later'."

Sakura smiled. "You got that from the anime too, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. I usually think that all that stuff is complete crap, but I guess this thing made some sense."

She shook her head. It was so like him. She gave him a peck on the lips. "Well then, see you later." With a nod, he started the engine of his motorcycle. "Oh, and I better hear from you often. If not, I shall hunt you down and drag your ass back here. Are we clear, mister?"

"Crystal," Sasuke replied, closing the clasp of his headgear.

"And when you do meet your brother again, remember. It's all a mind game. But just be careful anyway."

"You're doing it again. Didn't I tell you not to be a mother hen?"

"Just…tell me you won't do anything stupid, okay?" she commanded.

He ruffled her hair slightly. "Fine. I won't do anything stupid. See you." With that, he began to drive off.

Sakura could only sigh as she watched Sasuke and his bike disappear beyond a corner. "Sasuke-kun… is this how you felt when you watched me go ten years ago?" Funny how their roles were reversed. It seemed as if their story started with her departure and ended at his. Though, he was right. She couldn't think of this as 'the end'. Because it wasn't. It was just the start of a new chapter. That was all. It was simple.

That's life.

It doesn't matter how one got there. But she believed that every fight, every failed test, every laugh, every tear, every jump was simply part of the plot. Life's plot, that is. And whatever it had to dish out, she'd deal with it one step at a time. This was no exception.

"I'll wait. So until we meet again, neh, Sasuke-kun?"

* * *

**END**


End file.
